The reasons aren't fully clear, but overdose deaths are down in Kern, US
Overdose deaths, specifically from opioids, are on the decline across the nation and data from the Kern County Coroner's Office shows local deaths are down as well.
According to KCSO, there were 189 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Kern County in 2024, down from 297 in 2023, a roughly 36% decline.
The decline is part of a broader trend nationally. Opioid overdose deaths declined sharply from 2023-2024, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC, 48 states and the District of Columbia all saw decreases in overdose deaths from December 2023 to 2024, a 26% decrease nationwide. California's reported overdose deaths dropped by 24%, the most of any West Coast state.
Only Nevada and South Dakota saw an increase in overdose deaths, both by less than 4%.
It's not entirely clear what's driving the decline, and experts are pointing to a range of factors.
"Over the past, I'd say this calendar year, we have seen an increase in the people who are coming into our treatment system," said Ana Olvera, an administrator with Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.
"More people have accessed our treatment system than in years past, even coming out of COVID, which is a good sign for us," Olvera said.
The increased availability of treatment programs and the overdose reversal drug naloxone were likely contributors to the decrease, she said, as well as reduced stigma about seeking treatment.
Olvera also pointed to the passage of Proposition 36, which increased penalties for certain crimes.
"Just from that — working with the courts and people who are eligible for this program that have a treatment-mandated felony — we have seen an increase of folks who are eligible and who come into our system of care," Olvera said.
BHRS and other health care providers have increased their treatment options, Olvera said. The county's 24-hour substances-use-disorder hotline, which helps connect people with treatment, has seen higher call volume over the years, she said.
"The call center is how most people access treatment in our substance use system," Olvera said.
The average number of calls has increased from 908 in the 2018-2019 fiscal year to 1,272 in 2023-2024. From July 2024 to April of this year, there were 1,061 calls.
There's no doubt overdose deaths are dropping, but exactly why is still a matter of conjecture.
The Opioid Data Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tracks information related to opioids and its researchers have said there's no single explanation for such a steep, nationwide decline in overdose deaths.
"Ascribing a single national explanation for the drop in overdoses is not grounded in data," the lab said in a February analysis.
Even with the large decline in deaths, the mortality rate from drug overdoses remains high, with most states still recording death rates higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data from the CDC and the California Department of Public Health shows overdose deaths peaking in 2023 before dropping sharply in 2024.
According to CDPH, Kern County's opioid-related overdose deaths reached an all-time high of 321 in 2023. That was up from 308 in 2022 and 274 in 2021.
As of April 30, Kern had seen 50 fentanyl-related deaths so far this year, according to KCSO.
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