Medical examiner outlines overdose fatality review findings: methamphetamine remains leading driver, fentanyl trends shift

An official from the Office of the Medical Examiner told lawmakers that Utah's overdose rate has remained largely steady since its peak and that methamphetamine is the most commonly involved drug in fatal overdoses in recent years. "In 2024, there were 597 overdose deaths," Megan Brockmeier, the office's overdose fatality review specialist, told the committee. She said Utah's overdose rate remained flat through the COVID‑19 pandemic years rather than showing the national post‑pandemic declines some states experienced. The office reported that fentanyl‑involved deaths increased through 2023 and showed a modest decline in 2024, while methamphetamine has steadily increased and has been the most commonly involved drug in fatal overdoses from 2017 through 2024 (except for 2023). Brockmeier said males account for roughly 60 percent of overdose deaths and that adults aged 35 to 54 have the highest rates. Geographically, the Southeast Health District (Garfield, Emery, Grand counties) has had the highest overdose death rate from 2022 to 2024, followed by Salt Lake County. The medical examiner's office described its overdose fatality review (OFR): a confidential, multidisciplinary process that meets eight times a year to review three to four deaths per meeting, focusing on system‑level missed opportunities for prevention. Reviews exclude deaths ruled homicide or suicide because prevention implications differ; the office uses death‑certificate manner of death to make that determination. Brockmeier described recurring OFR recommendations drawn from regional reviews: integrate behavioral health services into primary‑care settings, expand peer support for people with substance use disorder, develop coordinated public education about methamphetamine harms, and increase school‑based mental health services to address childhood trauma. The OFR team is partnering with Intermountain Health and building software with the Department of Technology Services to track recommendations and measure which suggestions appear repeatedly across regions. The office said it can produce region‑level maps and data on ZIP codes on request, subject to small‑count confidentiality constraints.