Drug overdose declared a public health emergency in Utah

By, Mark Rosa

On Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert signed a concurrent resolution declaring drug overdose a public health emergency in the state of Utah and strongly urges Utah’s Department of Health, Department of Public Safety and Department of Human Services to immediately direct resources to address the crisis.

The resolution sponsored by Rep. Carol Spackman Moss and Sen. Brian E. Shiozawa says that Utah ranks fourth in the nation for drug overdose and first in the nation for drug overdose by a military veteran.

Samantha Easthope, the addiction recovery management program manager for Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, said that from 2000 to 2014 Utah saw a 400 percent increase in deaths due to the abuse or misuse of drugs and that more people are killed by overdose than by falls, firearms and motor vehicle accidents combined.

Emily Carver, a medication assisted treatment coordinator and case manager for Weber Human Services, said that the majority of fatal overdoses in the state are caused by prescription pain medications such as hydrocodone or oxycodone.

Carver is hopeful that support from the resolution funneled into a sustainable, comprehensive public health plan focused on education will result in significant decreases in the number of drug overdose deaths in Utah.