On Tuesday, for the first time, Sparrow Forensic Pathology Services released a report about drug-related deaths in the five counties in which Sparrow serves as M.E., which are: Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella and Shiawassee.
Sparrow's Forensic Pathology Services serves as the Medical Examiner for local law enforcement and police were interested in the number of deaths sparked by the opioid crisis.
This first report covers the 1st quarter of 2018, from Jan. 1 through March 31.
In the report they say that the majority of the drug deaths reported are due to more than one substance. Also, total drug-related deaths increased by 20% compared to the same time period in 2017. And opioid-related deaths were up by 17.9%.
Here's a breakdown:
Heroin-related deaths remained constant at 14
Fentanyl-related deaths increased by 70% (7 more)
Methadone-related deaths increased by 50% (2 more)
Cocaine-related deaths increaed by 11.1% (1 more)
Amphetamine/Methamphetamine-related4 deaths increased by 100% (2 more)
Fentanyl analogue-related deaths decreased by 25% (1 fewer)
Benzodiazepine-related deaths decreased by 7.1% (1 fewer)
Sparrow has also issued 2017 annual reports on drug deaths and overall Forensic Pathology services in the five counties, Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella and Shiawassee.
All of the reports are available on Sparrow's website: CLICK HERE.
