LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A Michigan Division of Well being and Human Providers (MDHHS) research has discovered that hurt discount applications lowered hospitalizations and emergency division visits.
MDHHS experiences that the applications present instruments, akin to naloxone, which may reverse the consequences of opioids and stop overdose deaths. The applications additionally combat to cut back the unfold of HIV and Hepatitis C.
There are presently 37 hurt discount companies in Michigan with greater than 100 places.
“Harm reduction is a key component of our opioid response in Michigan, and it is working,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel mentioned in a information launch despatched to six Information.
“According to the most recent year of data, Michigan ranked in the top five states in the country for greatest reduction in overdose deaths.”
“Our modeling shows that the more we increased investments in harm reduction programming, the more lives we saved, with more than 550 Michigan lives saved in 2024 alone with naloxone,” Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical govt for the state of Michigan, mentioned in a information launch despatched to six Information.
“These are not just statistics, they are our neighbors, our family members and our friends.”
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MDHHS experiences that knowledge from earlier in 2025 signifies a 36% discount in overdose deaths from 2,931 deaths in 2023 to a provisional 1,877 in 2024.
MDHHS evaluation estimates that further funding into hurt discount applications from 2017 to 2024 has:
Prevented greater than 1,650 deaths as a consequence of elevated entry to naloxone.
Prevented greater than 13,000 hospitalizations as a consequence of drug injection between 2018 and 2024.
Prevented roughly 13,200 emergency division visits between 2018 and 2023.
The evaluation was funded by the State of Michigan Opioid Therapeutic and Restoration Fund, which is receiving funds from the nationwide settlement with the three largest pharmaceutical distributors, in addition to opioid producer Johnson and Johnson. Michigan is anticipated to obtain almost $1.6 billion from the settlement by 2040.
Hurt discount and therapy applications can be found on-line.
