Fewer people are dying of overdose in New Mexico. Monday the state’s Health Care Authority announced a decline in overdose deaths for the second consecutive year.
Overdoses fell by 8% since 2021 — from 1029 deaths down to 948 in 2023, the most recent year with finalized mortality data.
The steady decline’s announcement comes amidst Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month. The authority will be highlighting efforts to expand access to treatment, prevention and crisis response services.
HCA Behavioral Health Services Director, Nick Boukas, HCA Behavioral HealthHelath Services director, said while recovery and healing can begin at any moment, “January is a time of renewal.”
The Department of Health offers access to medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder at its public health offices. The DOH Harm Reduction Program offers a list of resources, and free Naloxone, the opioid reversal drug better known as Narcan, sent through the mail.
More information on those programs can also be found by calling the DOH Helpline at 1-833-796-8773.
The 2023 mortality data also noted a decline in suicide deaths among women by 42% — from from 116 in 2022 to 67 in 2023 — and among indigenous communities by 43% —from 77 to 44 during the same period.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
