NCJ Number
204889
Date Published
April 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) report presents data on the number and types of drug-related visits to 12 hospitals in the New Orleans metropolitan area in 2002.
Abstract
Currently hospitals in the New Orleans area and 20 other metropolitan areas participate in the DAWN network, as they follow standard procedures for keeping records on cases that have involved medical treatment for drug abuse. Of the approximately 650,000 visits to the emergency departments (ED's) of the 12 New Orleans DAWN hospitals in 2002, less than 1 percent (4,566) were related to drug abuse. The most common drugs involved in these ED visits were cocaine (1,674); alcohol in combination with other drugs (1,430); narcotic analgesics (1,133); benzodiazepines (947); and marijuana (832). From 2000 to 2002, the rate of cocaine-related ED visits in New Orleans declined 11 percent, from 162 to 145 visits per 100,000 population. Almost two-thirds of these cocaine-related ED visits also involved other drugs. Between 1995 and 2002, ED mentions of pain relievers in New Orleans increased 141 percent, from 41 to 98 mentions per 100,000 population. Among the 21 DAWN areas, New Orleans ranked in the top 5 in drug abuse-related ED visits that involved pain relievers and benzodiazepines. From 1995 to 2002, benzodiazepines involved in drug abuse-related ED visits in New Orleans remained relatively stable, as did the rate of marijuana-related ED visits during this period. Four figures compare New Orleans' 2002 rates of ED visits for cocaine, pain relievers, benzodiazepines, and marijuana with the 20 other DAWN sites.