Georgia Coastal Health District

Overdose Surveillance Data

Opioid-involved overdose deaths have been rapidly increasing in Georgia since 2010, driven largely by increased use and misuse of prescription opioids (e.g., Oxycodone and Hydrocodone). Beginning in 2013, illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl drove the sharp increase in opioid-involved overdose deaths.

A core function of the Georgia Department of Public Health’s opioid-epidemic response include data coordination and distribution. Local Public Health Analysts and members of the Drug Surveillance Unit monitor trends in overdose data to detect and respond to rapid increases of overdoses within the Coastal Health District.

The GA DPH Drug Surveillance Unit website includes:

• Annual Statewide and County Opioid Overdose Surveillance Reports
• Annual Stimulant Overdose Surveillance Reports
• Monthly Drug Overdose Syndromic Surveillance Reports
• Annual Opioid-Involved Overdose Death Reports
• Monthly Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Reports

These reports and others are available here.