The state Department of Health says 951 Missourians died from a prescription drug overdose in 2017. St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell has unveiled a plan for his region that partners with the community and expands diversion programs for nonviolent offenders with addiction and mental health issues.
The state Department of Health says one in every 65 Missourians died in 2017 from a prescription drug overdose. Missouri’s metropolitan areas have consistently high rates of opioid overdose deaths, but additional counties with high rates exist statewide.
Most Missouri counties with high opioid-involved death rates are near the St. Louis metro region, but additional counties with high rates exist statewide.
