Massachusetts Postoverdose Outreach Programs Associated With Lower Opioid Fatality Rates Over Time

Massachusetts municipalities that implemented postoverdose outreach programs saw 6% lower opioid fatality rates per year than municipalities that did not implement such programs. The impact was identified in a comparison that analyzed opioid fatality rates in 93 Massachusetts municipalities that had 30 or more opioid-related emergency medical services (EMS) responses during 2015. Among these municipalities, 62% (58 municipalities) had implemented postoverdose outreach programs at some point between 2013 and the second quarter of 2019.

The municipalities included in the comparison had similar fatality rates as of January 1, 2013. By June 30, 2019, in the municipalities with postoverdose outreach . . .