LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Preliminary findings released this week show the number of Kentuckians who died from an overdose declined for the first time since 2018.

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center says 2,127 people died last year, down 5% from the year before.

What You Need To Know

  • Preliminary findings released this week show the number of Kentuckians who died from an overdose declined last year for the first time since 2018

  • The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center says 2,127 people died last year, down 5% from the year before

  • 2,257 Kentuckians died from an overdose in 2021

  • The full 2022 drug overdose mortality report is expected to be published in the next few weeks
 

"We’re really optimistic about this finding," said Dana Quisenberry with the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center during an update with Gov. Andy Beshear this week. "This early signal gives us some support that our prevention and intervention efforts that are implemented by Kentucky, our state and local partners across the state, that they’re having an effect. And while this news is encouraging, there's still a lot of work to be done." 

Ben Goldman contributes to those efforts in his work for Louisville’s health department.  

"There’s still far too many people who are dying of overdoses, but I think this is certainly a sign that a lot of people are standing up, whether that’s people who use drugs reversing overdoses of other people who use drugs, families and friends getting trained in Narcan and having it around and just the herculean efforts of harm reductionists, both in our own department but also at community partners," he said. 

Participants of the city’s harm reduction services program reported more than 1,700 overdose reversals last year and 2022 saw the largest investment in providing access to the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and other harm reduction resources in Louisville history, said Goldman.

That level of investment will need be sustained in order to continue reducing overdose deaths, he said. 

"I think with the current drug supply, it’s not a question of if an overdose is going to happen near you, it’s actually a question of when," said Goldman. "We see it in every zip code, every neighborhood of our city. We see it across races, across class, and even though we did successfully reduce the number of residents who died of overdoses, that doesn’t mean that the drug supply is getting safer. That was actually despite a drug supply that continues to become more adulterated." 

Free naloxone is available at 11 different locations around the city.  

The full 2022 drug overdose mortality report is expected to be published in the next few weeks.

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