Philadelphia projects decline in drug overdose deaths for first time since COVID-19 pandemic

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Drug overdose continues to rank among the leading causes of death in Philadelphia, but a city official had a hopeful message to share with an audience of federal officials at the White House on Wednesday.

When the data is finalized, probably sometime next month, Philadelphia is expecting to see a slight decrease in the number of people in the city who died from a drug overdose. It would be the first decrease since before the COVID-19 pandemic, said Keli McLoyd, acting director of Philadelphia’s Opioid Response Unit .

Philadelphia projects the number of overdose deaths in 2023 to be about 1,300. That would be about 100 fewer than in 2022 — but still up from the years before the pandemic. And it’s more than three times the number of deaths by homicide in the city last year.

McLoyd spoke about the city’s efforts to drive the number down at an Overdose Awareness Week (Aug. 25 - 31) event hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The gathering included families who have lost a loved one to overdose as well as public health advocates from around the country.

Philadelphia has tried a number of approaches, McLoyd said. She told officials about the city’s “trusted messenger” model, which sends people out in their own communities to engage one on one.

“Between October and May, our canvassers knocked on over 100,000 doors, sharing information around overdose treatment and resources, and also providing Narcan and fentanyl test strips — primarily in Black and brown neighborhoods, where overdose rates are rising the fastest,” McLoyd said.

McLoyd said the city has doubled the number of naloxone doses it distributes and is providing more fentanyl test strips, because overdoses are tied to the toxicity of the drug supply.

“We talk about ‘meeting people where they are’ as a psychological-readiness level, but in the city of Philadelphia, it’s really important that we meet people literally where they are. And the majority of people that die from an overdose are actually dying at home, alone,” McLoyd said.

“It’s really important to have multiple responses — just like when we thought about COVID. It was social distancing, masking, staying home when you’re sick. It was a layered response.”

ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta said he hopes more cities will follow Philadelphia’s example.

“It’s these types of action — with compassion, with empathy — that I believe are going to get us to help people,” he said.