Why Should Delaware Care?
For years, Delaware ranked as one of the hardest hit states in the country from the opioid epidemic. Yet new figures show a sharp decline in fatal overdoses in Delaware for a second consecutive year.
State officials announced Monday that Delaware’s deaths from drug overdoses fell by more than a third last year, even as overdoses in general remained a significant concern.
In total, 2024 saw 338 fatal drug overdoses, a roughly 36% decrease compared to 2023. For years, Delaware ranked as one of the hardest hit states in the nation on a per-capita basis, but the figures represent a second straight year of decreases and the lowest annual total since 2017.
Leaders within the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services gave speeches at a Monday press conference about the drop, along with Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay and Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
According to statistics shared with Spotlight Delaware, New Castle County saw 222 fatal overdoses in 2024, more than 65% of the state’s total. Kent and Sussex County saw 64 and 52 fatal overdoses, respectively.
Joanna Champney, the director of the state’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, said the decrease in fatal overdoses in Delaware mirrors a trend across the nation, but that there’s still more work to be done.
Previously, state officials have said non-fatal overdoses were still happening at the same rate as in years past but that deaths were falling largely due to the wide availability of Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose with limited training.
When asked if this still rang true at the press conference, Champney said the rate of non-fatal overdoses changes frequently, but that in recent months, there’s been an increase.
“It would be accurate to say that for a while, we were seeing a drop in non-fatal overdoses, and then more recently, we have seen an uptick,” Champney said.
Champney also discussed federal funding cuts around the county, and how they may impact access to addiction services in Delaware. She said her division could see “minor reductions” in care, should those federal funds dry up, but that there are state funds which could be used to fill those gaps.
Settlement won’t subsidize state operations
As other states face tough budget seasons in the wake of massive federal funding cuts, some are looking at opioid settlement dollars, which dozens of states won in lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors, to backfill those budgets.
At the press conference, Jennings assured that Delaware would not turn to its own $250 million settlement fund to meet any budget shortfalls.
“No, full stop,” Jennings said. “Under the terms of our settlement, they cannot and will not be used for general fund dollars.”
Spotlight Delaware has spent months reporting on Delaware’s opioid settlement funds and the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission, which recommends how the state should allocate its funds. Last week, the state announced it’s opening a new $13 million round of grants up to public and private organizations.
Delaware hasn’t awarded any new grants from the opioid fund since last July, when it approved $2 million in three-month extension grants for previous awardees. It came soon after a letter from Jennings called for a pause on grants, claiming the program was “rife with potential for fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Jennings’ letter followed a separate notice from the state’s top auditor that accused a Kent County nonprofit of securing its grant with “fraudulent documentation.”
Members of the Behavioral Health Consortium, which approves the recommendations from the commission, greenlit the July grants after a meeting that slammed the letter.
During that meeting, one nonprofit leader called the letter a politically motivated “witch hunt,” due to it being released so close to a heated gubernatorial primary race between then-Lt. Gov. and Commission Co-chair Bethany Hall-Long and then-New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, an allegation the DOJ denied.
“This is not Monopoly money. These are real dollars that the DOJ fought incredibly hard to secure, and every penny belongs to the public,” a DOJ spokesperson said at the time.
Since then, the state has yet to put forward any recommendations as the commission contended with mismanagement concerns and the fraud allegations.
A new threat in medetomidine
At Monday’s press conference, Greg Wanner, the chief physician with the Delaware Division of Public Health, discussed emerging substances in the state’s drug supply.
Delaware drug officials say medetomidine, a powerful animal sedative nearly 20 times more powerful than xylazine or “tranq,” is showing up with the same frequency as fentanyl in the state’s drug supply.
According to two monthly reports from the Delaware the Overdose Response Center, the prevalence of medetomidine has increased dramatically since September 2024.
While a bulletin shared with Spotlight Delaware says medetomidine doesn’t produce the same level of skin wounds tranq is known for, it can still cause skin reactions and in some cases slow the healing of wounds.
During the press conference, Wanner said medetomidine overdoses can drastically lower someone’s blood pressure and heart rate, which could lead to death.
He also said withdrawals from the sedative can leave people hospitalized.
“Withdrawal effects for medetomidine can make people very, very sick, including hospitalizations, including ICU level hospitalizations,” Wanner explained.
