More detail about the dashboards on overdose deaths
The publication of 2020 Census data has required changes in the way that Race and Hispanic Origin categories are represented in death statistics. The Census Bureau has worked hard to expand the information to code responses to the Race and Hispanic Origin questions on the Census form. These changes resulted in an increase in the number of persons classifying themselves as “multi-racial” that is, selecting more than one race on their Census form.
The Vital Statistics Program at CDPHE and the State Demography Office for Colorado have produced new data products for vital statistics data and population estimates reflecting the categories used by the Census. These have been incorporated into drug overdose death data for 2020-forward.
These revisions require a break in the time frames presented since the race categories used in 2000-2019 vital statistics are not fully comparable with these categories used for 2020-forward. Thus, three separate data visualizations on drug overdose deaths have been developed:
- One dashboard of overdose deaths for the full time frame 2000-forward that does not include race or Hispanic origin;
- A second dashboard of overdose deaths for the time frame 2000-2019 that includes the prior race categories (“bridged race”) and Hispanic origin;
- A third dashboard of overdose deaths for the time frame 2020-forward that includes the updated race categories and Hispanic origin.
State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS)
The dashboard provides additional information about the circumstances of the death and the substances involved in the overdose from coroner and medical examiner reports, for which data collection began in 2020. Data for race and Hispanic origin among nonfatal drug overdose emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or opioid prescriptions is not currently available in these respective dashboards.
Inquiries about the drug overdose dashboards or data requests
Contact cdphe.healthstatistics@state.co.us, or visit the CDPHE data request system