Cost of Medicine Overdoses

 

Did you know?

• The number of Emergency Room visits due to overdose of medicines is skyrocketing, increasing 111% from 2004 - 2008.¹ 
• Over 18,000 people went to Washington State emergency rooms because of nonmedical use of medicines in 2007.²
• Deaths from narcotic overdoses increased 395% from 1990 to 2006 in Washington State.³  

What did these accidental overdoses cost our state?

Each year in Washington State we spend about:

• $16.2 million to hospitalize and treat children for unintentional poisonings from pain relievers and other medicines.⁴ 
• $9.3 million for emergency room costs to treat unintentional poisoning of children who accidentally ingested pain relievers and other medicines.⁵  
• $6.2 million in expenses related to accidental overdose deaths of children, adults and the elderly.⁶

 
It costs much more to do nothing. Protect our kids, families and environment. It’s time for drug companies to step up and properly dispose of their leftovers. It’s just common sense.
Learn more...

 

What You Can Do Now

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¹Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. (2010). The DAWN Report:  Trends in Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical Use of Narcotic Pain Relievers.  Rockville, MD. Available online at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/DAWN016/OpioidEdHTML.pdf

 ² Data compiled from: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies.  (2010). Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2007:  National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits.  Rockville, MD. Available online at: http://www.odmhsas.org/resourcecenter/ResourceCenter/Publications/Current/2005.pdf; U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). National and State Population Estimate Archives. Available online at: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-01.xls

³ Washington State Department of Health. (2008). "Poisoning and Drug Overdose." Washington State Injury and Violence Prevention Guide. DOH Publication No: 530-090. Available online at: www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/emstrauma/injury/pubs/icpg/DOH530090Poison.pdf 

⁴Data compiled from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.  (2008). Web-based Injury statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).  Available online at: www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html;Schillie, SF., et al. (2009). Medication Overdoses Leading to Emergency Department Visits Among Children.  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 37, Issue 3, September 2009, pgs 181-187; United State Census Bureau. (2009). Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008.  Available online at: www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-01.xls; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Health Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and utilization Project. (2010). Query of 2008 National Statistics.  Available online at: http://hcupnet.ahrq.gov

⁵ Data compiled from:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.  (2008). Web-based Injury statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS).  Available online at: www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html; Schillie, SF., et al. (2009). Medication Overdoses Leading to Emergency Department Visits Among Children.  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 37, Issue 3, September 2009, pgs 181-187; United State Census Bureau. (2009). Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008.  Available online at: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-01.xls; United States Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2007). Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Table 6: Emergency Room Services-Median and Mean Expenses per Person with Expense and Distribution of Expenses by Source of Payment: United states, 2007 Facility and SBD Expenses.  Available online at: http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb.

⁶ Data compiled from:  Washington state Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. (2009). Death Data - Mortality Table E5. Poisoning by Intent and Substance for Residents, 2008.  Available online at: www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/CHS/chs-data/death/htmltables/e5.htm; Washington State Department of Health. (2008). "Poisoning and Drug Overdose." Washington State Injury and Violence Prevention Guide - DOH Publication 530-090. Available online at:  http//www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/emstrauma/injury/pubs/icpg/DOH530090Poison.pdf; Miller, T.R., et al. (1977). Costs of poisoning in the United States and Savings from Poison Control Centers: A benefit-Cost Analysis. Annuals of Emergency Medicine, 29(2), 239.45.