Rhode Island overdose deaths fall for the first time in 4 years

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Governor Dan McKee and the leadership of the Governor’s Overdose Task Force announced today a 7.3 percent decrease in overdose deaths in Rhode Island in 2023.

According to a release, this is the first decrease seen in the state in four years.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, 404 people lost their lives to accidental overdoses in Rhode Island, compared to 436 people who lost their lives to overdoses in 2022.  

 “While we have a lot more work to do, today’s announcement offers some encouragement for us as we move forward with our work to prevent overdoses and save lives,” said Governor Dan McKee in a statement.

“We have many new interventions in place to respond to the dynamic nature of this crisis. We have to keep innovating and collaborating with our partners in the community to continue preventing overdoses,” he continued. 

Officials said the decrease between 2022 and 2023 was supported by a whole-of-government approach and the work of community organizations, healthcare professionals, and people at the local level.

Officials also said that the Governor’s Overdose Task Force, Rhode Island’s overdose response is built around the pillars of prevention, rescue and harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.

According to data overview, the municipalities with the highest rates of fatal overdoses were Woonsocket (67.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 people), Providence, Pawtucket, East Providence, Cranston, and Warwick. 

Opioids and fentanyl continue to drive the overdose epidemic in Rhode Island, as 85 percent of overdoses involved any opioid, while 78 percent involved fentanyl.

Half of the fatal overdoses, 58 percent, involved cocaine.

A list of comprehensive overdose interventions is listed here.  

“My heart breaks for each and every person who has lost a loved one to this epidemic. We owe it to the Rhode Islanders who have passed, and to their families, to do everything possible to prevent any additional overdose deaths,” said McKee.