Sentences to Ponder

~ Jason Schwartz

400-people“In 2012, 400 people in Macomb County, Mich., alone died from prescription narcotic overdose, said Dr. Joseph Naughton, director of medical education at Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals.”  (Source: USA Today)

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.

2 thoughts on “Sentences to Ponder”

  1. Dear Jason,
    I have checked with Macomb County reguarding the quote by Dr. Mc Naughton and this is there answer. I know this an ongoing problem in the Tri County area. I just thought the number high.

    Betty Risher

    Here is the provisional data they shared…
    When we look at the Michigan Automated Prescription System for unintentional and undetermined drug poisoning deaths (2011)
    191 deaths from narcotics and psycholdysleptics
    92 died from other unspecified drugs
    When I wrote to the State of Michigan’s epidemiologist, she said that 2012 numbers have not been released for death certificates. They just received 2011 data about three weeks ago.

    Here is the provisional data they shared…
    When we look at the Michigan Automated Prescription System for unintentional and undetermined drug poisoning deaths (2011)
    191 deaths from narcotics and psycholdysleptics
    92 died from other unspecified drugs

    This equals 283

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