Verde Valley AZ (November 17, 2018) – The Yavapai County Overdose Fatality Review Board has released a new community report. The Overdose Fatality Review Board (OFRB) was formed in August 2016 to address the Opioid Epidemic.
The community report outlines findings based on the review of 12 of the 41 total accidental/undetermined drug overdose deaths that occurred in Yavapai County in 2017. The twelve deaths that were reviewed included four females and eight males between the ages of 22 and 61.
In the twelve deaths, the causes of death as listed by the Medical Examiner are as follows:
- 5 Cases: Mixed drug intoxication
- 2 Cases: Mixed heroin and methamphetamine intoxication
- 1 Case: Methamphetamine and ethanol Intoxication
- 1 Case: Mixed drug (fentanyl) intoxication
- 1 Case: Acute methamphetamine intoxication
- 1 Case: Acute heroin intoxication
- 1 Case: Mixed drug and ethanol intoxication.
Upon review it was found that eleven of the twelve individuals had a reported mental illness, six of the twelve individuals had spent time in prison, six of the twelve were unemployed at the time of death, three of the twelve were homeless and nine of the twelve had begun using alcohol and or marijuana at a very young age.
The goal of the Yavapai County Overdose Fatality Review Board is to prevent overdose deaths by identifying overdose trends in Yavapai County, identifying commonalities in overdose deaths, making recommendations based on OFRB findings and developing action steps that improve policies and programs to prevent overdose deaths.
Twenty-five separate organizations are represented on the Overdose Fatality Review Board including the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department, Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, Yavapai County Adult Probation, Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Yavapai County Community Health Services, Prescott Valley Police Department, Cottonwood Police Department, Prescott Police Department, Yavapai College Police Department, West Yavapai Guidance Clinic, Southwest Behavioral Health, First Things First, Life Line Ambulance, MATFORCE and Yavapai County Superior Court.
The entire report is available at www.matforce.org.