US overdose deaths down but no change for Connecticut
Americans’ life expectancy increased in 2018 for the first time since 2014. From 2014 through 2017, life expectancy fell 0.3 years, twice as much for American men as women. The drop was largely attributed to the sharp rise in overdose deaths during those years. Nationally, overdose deaths fell from 21.7 to 20.7 per 100,000 population in 2018 helping , but Connecticut’s rate at 30.7 did not change significantly. From 2017 to 2018, fifteen states achieved significant drops in overdose death rates, five had an increase, and 31 had no change including Connecticut. Connecticut’s rate remains almost 50% higher than the US average. In 2018 we had the 11th highest rate among states, up from 12th the year before. Connecticut needs to do more to address the epidemic.
Updated 1/31/2020 at 7:15 am