Preventable deaths every day…
Vast Disparities in Fatal Overdoses
Though increases in overdose deaths throughout the nation have risen to crisis level over recent years, the communities hit the hardest by this epidemic are those with populations composed mostly of Black and Indigenous individuals and other People of Color. There are significant disparities in overdose resulting in loss of life within the black community, where overdose deaths have increased by 44%, and the Native American community, where overdose deaths have increased by 39%, in the past year. As overdose prevention and education efforts seem to be leading to a reduction in fatal overdose in many middle-class and predominantly white communities, death rates continue to rise among BIPOC communities throughout the country.
An Attempt at Addressing the Issue
Michigan’s Governor has appointed an Opioids Task Force to establish a plan of action to mitigate fatal overdose disparities in BIPOC communities with the help of a Racial Equity Work Group. The focus of the REWG is to advise the Opioids Task Force on implementation of equitable and community centered prevention and education efforts specifically within BIPOC communities. Among the recommendations being forwarded by the REWG are, establishing Overdose Prevention Centers, funding Syringe Service Programs, and moving towards the decriminalization of substances in an effort to establish a safer drug supply throughout the state.
