Second Consecutive Year Overdose Deaths Decrease for


Preliminary data reported by the Department of Public Health shows a 25 percent decline in overdose deaths from January through September 2024, marking the second consecutive year that overdose deaths have dropped in Saint Louis County.


“We are optimistic that our efforts to break the stigma surrounding substance use disorder while


providing avenues for prevention and treatment are working.”


- Dr. Kanika Cunningham Director of Public Health


The department distributed more than 7,000 doses of naloxone, most commonly known as Narcan. The rescue kits were distributed via mail, at our health clinics, at outreach events, at each branch of the St. Louis County Library, and to those who leave the Justice Center.


Residents of the Saint Louis County Justice


Center are disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis. Nearly 10 percent of the residents of the Justice Center have been diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD).


The Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)


for OUD at the jail has grown by more than 400% since January 2023 to meet this need; the MAT program and corrections medicine team care for more than 100 patients housed in the Justice Center on any given day.


Patients prescribed MAT are 60 percent


less likely to suffer an opioid overdose, and 25 percent less likely to die in the months after initiating treatment. In combination with social support and behavioral therapy, MAT can be life-saving and life-changing— benefiting the overall health of our Saint Louis County community.


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