A new data visualization from the Baker-Polito administration shows the extent of the Massachusetts opioid epidemic, based on findings from the Chapter 55 Report. The report was collected by a public/private partnership that reviewed opioid-related data sets from government, higher education, and the private sector. It was a product of Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2015, signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker in August 2015, which included recommendations and a comprehensive action plan focused on prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support.
The online site, produced by MassIT and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, illustrates and explains the complex nature of addiction, the role that legal prescription medications and illegal substances play in the epidemic, its impact across the demographic spectrum in Massachusetts, and what steps are being taken to address this fundamental public health crisis in communities across the state.
Users can explore the epidemic on Martha’s Vineyard through representations which show, by town, the average annual rates of opioid-related deaths across five-year spans, or the primary substance of use for patients entering treatment.
The visualization can be viewed at mass.gov/chapter55.
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