Hawaii’s drug, alcohol and suicide death rate is projected to increase by 39 percent over the next decade, a new report shows.
The state’s death rate from these causes is forecast to rise to 43.3 per 100,000 residents by 2025 from 31.2 in 2015 — the sixth lowest in the nation — according to the report by the Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate has been steadily climbing from 22 in 2005 and 20 in 1999.
“Nobody wants to see a 39 percent increase in 10 years,” said Dan Galanis, an epidemiologist at the state Department of Health, which expects to present a plan to address substance abuse, particularly prescription opioids, to the Legislature next session. Nearly 50 percent of traffic fatalities are related to alcohol-impaired driving, he said.
“The largest issue is substance abuse. It’s still high, and it hasn’t really gone down much … but I think we can positively impact it going forward. I don’t think we’re going to see the projected increases, at least in the area of drug overdoses or drug-related deaths.”
However, suicide-related deaths in the islands are “an area where we’re not relatively low.” From 2012 to 2016 Hawaii had an average 186 deaths from suicides each year, or about 1 every 2 days, DOH statistics show.
HIGHS AND LOWS
States with the highest drug, alcohol and suicide death rates per 100,000 residents:
>> New Mexico (77.4)
>> West Virginia (67.4)
>> Wyoming (66.4)
>> Alaska (63)
>> New Hampshire (60.6)
>> Montana (56.7)
States with the lowest rates:
>> Nebraska (28.2)
>> Texas (28.4)
>> New York (30)
>> New Jersey (30.5)
>> Mississippi (30.9)
>> Hawaii (31.2)
Source: Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust
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“It’s a big issue for our office, and it’s a very complicated issue,” Galanis said. “It’s definitely a cause for concern. It’s really kind of an unknown problem. The general public probably isn’t really aware of the scale of it.”
Hawaii’s suicide rate of roughly 14 per 100,000 population per year was 34th in the nation in 2015, according to the trusts’ report. Alaska has the highest suicide rate at 27, and the District of Columbia had the lowest at 5 per 100,000.
Hawaii’s drug overdose death rate was 11.8 per 100,000 — ninth lowest in the nation — in 2015, while the alcohol-related death rate was 6.6, fifth lowest.
Nationally, drug, alcohol and suicide deaths are expected to jump 60 percent to 1.6 million fatalities over the next decade, the report said.
“These numbers are staggering, tragic — and preventable,” John Auerbach, president and CEO of the Trust for America’s Health, said in a news release. “There is a serious crisis across the nation and solutions must go way beyond reducing the supply of opioids, other drugs and alcohol. Greater steps that promote prevention, resiliency and opportunity must be taken to address the underlying issues of pain, hopelessness and despair.”
The report’s recommendations include:
>> Promoting responsible opioid prescribing practices; increasing public education about misuse and safe disposal of unused drugs; expanding the use and availability of rescue drugs, sterile syringes and diversion programs.
>> Addressing the impact of the opioid epidemic on children, including treatment for parents and services for children and families, including grandparents and other relatives who help care for children, and expanded support for the foster care system.
>> Lowering excessive alcohol use by increasing pricing, limiting hours and density of alcohol sales, enforcing underage-drinking laws and holding sellers and hosts liable for serving minors.
>> Preventing suicides by expanding crisis intervention services, anti-bullying and social-emotional learning in schools, and support systems for veterans, and better integrating mental health into primary care.
The full report can be found at healthyamericans.org.