FRANKFORT, Ky. — Overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky for the third year in a row. Fentanyl and other deadly substances took the lives of more than 1,400 people in 2024, according to a state report released last week.
The report states overdoses fell 30.2% compared to 2023. Deaths among Black Kentuckians declined 37.3%, which is a reduction not seen in previous years.
Kentucky also distributed roughly 170,000 units of the overdose reversing drug Narcan.
“Getting that report, it feels like finally right like I can say, okay, it’s working,” said Shreeta Waldon, executive director of Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition.
The Louisville-based organization has been helping those battling addiction for several years, and is one nonprofit that distributes Narcan, fentanyl test strips and xylazine test strips.
Waldon said their work is part of the reason deaths declined so much, and hopes the state will continue to invest in harm reduction organizations. She would also like to see the state tap into opioid abatement funds to do that.
“Let’s get folks to that next level of care. Let’s get those folks who we were able to save to move through this spectrum in the public health outcomes. Let’s get them there because we have an opportunity now,” Waldon said.
Odell Hager, who works with street teams in Lexington distributing harm reduction material, is encouraged by the decrease in deaths. Hager said the work he and those who have gone through recovery is never ending.
“The work’s working,” Hager said. “Unfortunately, we’re never going to see a day where drug use just ends, right? So that’s where harm reduction comes in to play and to make sure we are meeting people where they’re at.”
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., said treatment services being covered by Medicaid and continued Narcan distribution efforts are saving lives, but warns federal funding cuts could hamper the state’s efforts.
“That’s what I believe the most serious and significant to the progress we’ve made would be significant cuts to Medicaid from the federal government. They should not do it,” Beshear said.
In 2024, over 142,000 Kentuckians accessed addition services through Medicaid.
The New York Times reports President Trump’s recent draft budget proposal ends a $56 million grant helps distribute the overdose-reducing drug Narcan.
