Hospitalizations for heroin, pain medication overdoses in Pa. spike
(Harrisburg) — The heroin crisis – which has stretched for more than three years – has touched thousands of families.
New data shows it’s stressing the state’s hospitals.
Last year, more than 1,500 people were admitted to hospitals in Pennsylvania for heroin overdoses.
Just two years earlier, it was less than 950.
The report from Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council – or PHC4 – also shows some of the highest rates of hospitalizations are in rural areas.
But, it only counts when a patient is admitted to the hospital — not emergency room visits.
Still, Joe Martin, executive director of PHC4, says one number surprised him – hospitalizations for pain medication overdoses.
“Previous numbers were underestimated. So when we look at the pain medication numbers over the last couple of years, it looks like they’ve plateaued, which is a good sign, but they’re plateauing at a higher rate than we originally thought,” says Martin.
About 70 percent of the patients admitted to a hospital last year for a heroin overdose were between 20 and 39 years old.
“This isn’t sneaking up on people anymore. I think we’ve only begun to really allocate the kind of attention and resources and coordination of care” says Martin.
In the midstate, Perry County had the highest rate, followed by Northumberland and Lebanon counties.
Martin says he was also surprised at the level of hospital admissions for pain medication overdoses, which spiked in 2015 after a more precise code was introduced.
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