b'44Drug Overdose Etiology OHCA caused by drug overdose (OD) is a growing public health concern and a leading cause of death for young adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdoses have increased since the start of the pandemic. For those living alone or individuals with underlying mental health conditions, social isolation presents an obvious risk. Additional barriers during the pandemic, such as reduced clinic hours or limited services from community-based organizations, could have exacerbated an already pervasive problem.During the 2020 pandemic year, there were increases in overdose etiology for all age groups. Tracking OHCA cases from 2019 to 2020, CARES data was used to examine the etiology of arrest over this two-year period. The bar graph below shows the percentage of arrest due to drug overdose across four distinct age groups 18, 19-34, 35-49, and 50 years old. The most notable of these increases occurred among individuals under 18, for whom the proportion of overdose-related arrests nearly doubled from 3.4% in 2019 to 6.4% in 2020.Figure 32. Drug overdose etiology by age group (2019 vs 2020).'