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Those With or at Risk of Having an Addictive Disorder Have Access to and Utilize Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment Supports and 1 more... less...

Individuals receive behavioral health treatment and support services

Drug Related Deaths

Current Value

13.5 per 100,000

2014

Definition

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About This Indicator

Definition: Annual rate (per 100,000 population) of drug related deaths in Sarasota County. Drug related deaths include those that are accidental, intentional, homicides, and unknown. Population estimates are based on the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, Population Estimates.

Source: Vital Statistics Database, Florida Health Department (Contact at the Sarasota Health Department)

2025 Target: 12.15 per 100,000











Story Behind the Curve

In 2014, the rate of drug related deaths was 13.5 per 100,000 population. Within four years, from 2010 to 2014, there has been a 35% decrease in the rate of drug related deaths in Sarasota County. This decrease is largely due to regulations on pain clinics in Sarasota County and Florida, also known as “pill mills”, or pain management clinics where prescription opioids are inappropriately prescribed and dispensed. Starting in 2010, Florida passed legislation requiring pain centers to register with the state and be owned by doctors. The state also established a Drug Prescription Monitoring Program (PDMP) which became operational in September 2011. More recently, however, overdoses due to heroin and other opiate-based drugs have increased.

According to the Center for Disease Control, drug addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. Both biological and environmental factors contribute to drug addiction. Scientists estimate that biological factors account for between 40 to 60 percent of a person’s vulnerability to addiction, this includes the effects of environmental factors on the function and expression of a person’s genes, such as early childhood development and community poverty. According to the CDC, “addiction is a developmental disease- it typically begins in childhood or adolescence”.

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.

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