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Opioid Indicators
Drug-related Deaths
Age-adjusted Drug Poisoning Deaths per 100,000 (Modeled)
Opioid Prescriptions per 100 Persons
Number of 30 Days Supply of Opioids per Part D Enrollee
Vulnerable County Rank
HIV Indicators
Number of People Living with Diagnosed HIV
Number or People Living with Diagnosed HIV per 100,000
New HIV Diagnoses
Counties and States included in the Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan
Services Indicators
Facilities Providing Substance Abuse Services
Facilities Providing Some Medication Assisted Treatment
Facilities Providing All Medication Assisted Treatments
Providers Licensed to Administer Buprenorphine
Syringe Exchange Programs
Distance to Nearest SSP
Distance to Nearest Substance Abuse Facility providing MAT
Other Indicators
Unemployment Rate
Percent of People without Health Insurance
 
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Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic

State Statistics

Massachusetts National
Demographics
Unemployment Rate (2023) 3.0% 4.0%
Percent of People without Health Insurance (2022) 3.0% 10.0%
Population (2022) 6,984,200 331,098,000
HIV and HCV
Number of People Living with Diagnosed HIV (2021) 21,122 1,071,000
Number of People with Hepatitis C (2016) 38,100 2,266,700
Opioid Use
Drug-related Deaths per 100,000 (2019) 32.1 21.5
Drug-related Deaths (2019) 2,210 70,630
Healthcare
Opioid Prescriptions per 100 Persons (2019) 35.4 43.3
Number of 30 Days Supply of Opioids per Part D Enrollee (2015) 1.7 2.1
Percent Needing but Not Receiving Addiction Treatment (2014) 90.0% 89.0%
Treatment and Prevention Services
Syringe Exchange Programs (2024) 23 849
Facilities Providing Some Medication Assisted Treatment (2023) 313 8,294
Percent of Drug Treatment Paid by Medicaid (2016) 49.0% 24.0%

State Opioid Policies

Several policies can mitigate the impact of increased opioid use. These include legislation permitting the operation of syringe exchange programs, good samaritan laws that provide legal protections to bystanders who call for help in the event of an overdose, and state Medicaid coverage of methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorder. In addition, states experiencing, or at an elevated risk of, experiencing HIV or hepatitis outbreaks may use federal DHHS funds to support syringe service programs. In order to be eligible to do so, state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments must consult with CDC and provide evidence demonstrating risk.

Learn More Syringe Exchange Programs are Legal (2021)
Learn More Good Samaritan Law Protects from Parole/Probation Violations (2018)
Learn More State Medicaid Program does Cover Methadone (2017)

State Trends

Drug-related Deaths per 100,000
Inpatient Stays Resulting from Opioids per 100,000
Estimated Acute Hepatitis C Cases per 100,000
New HIV Diagnoses per 100,000

Federal Funding to Massachusetts

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) makes grants to fight the opioid epidemic through several programs. The largest of these are the Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) and State Opioid Response (SOR) grants. Several smaller grant programs are also available.

STR grants: $11,742,900 (2018)
SOR grants: $35,545,500 (2018)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides leadership in improving public health by working with community, state, national, and international partners in surveillance, research, and prevention and evaluation activities. The Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) and the Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) are responsible for HIV and viral hepatitis control activities, respectively. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) provides grants to states for both illicit and prescription opioid monitoring and research.

HIV/AIDS: $11,611,200 (2022)
Viral Hepatitis: $221,624 (2022)
Injury - Opioids: $8,944,100 (2022)

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a comprehensive system of care that includes primary medical care and essential support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or underinsured. The Program works with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV care and treatment services to more than half a million people each year.

Ryan White: $44,276,500 (2016)

The Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program is the only Federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Under the HOPWA Program, HUD makes grants to local communities, States, and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

HOPWA: $9,296,630 (2021)

* Small values are suppressed to preserve confidentiality. State-level data include the suppressed estimates so county rows will not sum to state totals.

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