Opioid deaths in Nev. decline, hospitalizations rise
By Jessie Bekker, Las Vegas Review-Journal
Opioid-related deaths dropped in Nevada in 2016 from a year earlier, but hospitalizations and prescription rates rose, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services data presented this week show.
At the Opioid State Action Accountability Meeting in Carson City, convened by Gov. Brian Sandoval, state agencies said access to reliable, unlimited data remains a hindrance in fighting opioid problems.
Presenters at the meeting said data from hospitals, emergency medical services and law enforcement are limited, lacking information that could be used to better illustrate the opioid problem. Less complete data can hamper researchers’ analyses and make devising solutions harder.
