What Public Health Tracks
Deaths in Maricopa County which are potentially due to unnatural causes are investigated by the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) and postmortem examinations and laboratory testing is performed. The following data are based on toxicology results for deaths which were certified by OME to be substance use caused, also referred to as overdose deaths. Please keep in mind that these are counts of deaths and any interpretation or comparisons to other jurisdictions should take into account the total population.
These data reflect all cases investigated by the OME and include all drug-related overdose deaths that occurred in Maricopa County for both residents and non-residents. Approximately ten percent of the total cases are for non-residents (out of county or out of state) or for homeless or transient individuals.
All substance-related deaths were included regardless of the substance itself, this includes over the counter, prescription, and illicit drugs. This dataset does not identify whether any prescription medications detected were actually prescribed to the deceased individual or whether they were obtained illegally.
Data below are as of September 30, 2018.
All data are preliminary and may change as more reports are received.
Total drug overdose deaths in 2018: 1,014