KY Overdose Deaths Up 282 Percent

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Credit www.nlm.nih.gov

A new study shows drug overdose deaths in Kentucky rose 282 percent between 2000 and 2010. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center analyzed information from emergency rooms, in-patient hospitalizations and mortality records.

Drug overdose deaths increased from six per 100,000 Kentuckians in 2000 to almost 23 per 100,000 in 2010. More than half of the deaths were from prescription drugs, and the highest fatality rates were in eastern Kentucky.