Deaths from opioid-involved overdose are preventable. There is a medicine that reverses the effects of opioids like heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone – it’s called naloxone. Naloxone is easy to use and saves lives.
Be prepared. Get naloxone. Save a life.
Deaths caused by opioid-involved overdoses since 2015
By the numbers…
In Cook County as a whole, 6,972 people have died from opioid-involved overdoses since 2015. In the municipalities covered under the Cook County Department of Public Health’s jurisdiction (CCDPH), 2,059 people have died from opioid-involved overdoses since 2015.
A rising concern
The opioid-involved overdose death rate has nearly doubled over three years among Black/African-Americans both nationally and in suburban Cook County. The largest increase has been observed among middle-aged Black/African-American males.
Racial disparities
Black/African-American individuals living in suburban Cook County also experience higher rates of emergency department admission and inpatient hospitalization for opioid-involved overdoses compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
Regions affected
Many of the zip codes with the highest opioid-involved overdose mortality rates are located in west and southwest Cook County. Most of the western district ZIP codes with very high mortality rates are adjacent to communities on the west side of Chicago that also have very high mortality rates. The highest mortality rates were observed in ZIP codes that principally contain the following municipalities: Broadview, Forest Park, Harvey, Markham, Maywood, and Worth.
