Highlights From DAWN: Baltimore, 2002: DAWN: The Warning Network
Highlights From DAWN: Baltimore, 2002: DAWN: The Warning Network
Highlights From DAWN: Baltimore, 2002: DAWN: The Warning Network
Number of visits
analgesics (pain relievers), alcohol in combination 5,969
with other drugs, and marijuana.
5,000 4,715
■ Heroin-related ED visits in Baltimore increased
4 percent between 2001 and 2002, but have 3,848
0
Cocaine Heroin Narcotic Alcohol-in- Marijuana
analgesics combination
(pain relievers)
per 100,000
population
Cocaine 300 Baltimore
200
100,000
Trends inCocaine
Top 4 Drugs, 1995-2002
population
Rate perRate
200 U.S.
100
per 100,000
percent since 1995. 200
population
150
Cocaine
100,000
200
■ More than 80 percent of cocaine-related ED
population
150 Baltimore
Rate
visits in Baltimore also involved other drugs.
Marijuana 100
100,000
per
100 U.S.
population
Less than 5 percent of cocaine-related ED visits
Rate perRate
■
100
U.S.
Baltimore
were attributedMarijuana
to "crack" in Baltimore. 50
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 U.S.
2002
50
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Heroin 200
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
■ Heroin-related ED visits in Baltimore increased 400
150
per 100,000
4 percent (to 203 visits per 100,000 population)
population
400
between 2001 and 2002, but decreased 45
Marijuana
100,000 300
100 Baltimore
percent since 1995 heroin
(from 366 visits per 100,000).
population
Baltimore
perRate
300
200
U.S.
100,000
Baltimore
related ED visits inheroin
Rate perRate
200
in drug abuse-related ED visits increased more
population
Rate
100
mentions per 100,000 population). The increase
population
Rate perRate
U.S.
nationally was 139 percent (from 19 to 46 300
100 U.S.
50 Baltimore
Rate per 100,000
0
population
400
300
00
H I G H L I G H T S F R O M DA W N : BA LT I M O R E 2 0 0 2 3
Comparisons
??? Across 21 Metropolitan Areas
The following figures show Baltimore in relation to the Nation and 20 other metropolitan areas represented in DAWN
for selected drugs in 2002. Comparisons across areas are possible because the number of visits for each drug
is represented in terms of a rate per 100,000 population. Not all differences in rates are statistically significant.
Cocaine visits H
Cocaine visits
Cocaine visits Heroin
Rate visits
perHeroin
100,000 visits
population, 2002 Ra
Rate perRate
100,000 population,
per 100,000 2002 2002
population, Rate perRate
100,000 population,
per 100,000 2002 2002
population,
Total U.S. 78
Total U.S.Total U.S. 78 78 Total U.S.Total U.S. 36
Chicago 36 275
220
Chicago Chicago 275 275 Chicago Chicago
Philadelphia 274220 220
214
Philadelphia
Philadelphia 274 274 Newark Newark
Baltimore 257 214 214
203
BaltimoreBaltimore 257 257 Baltimore
MiamiBaltimore 240 203 203 S
171
Miami Miami 240 240 San Francisco
San Francisco
Atlanta 171
239 171
Atlanta Atlanta 239 239 Seattle Seattle
Newark 128
186 128
Newark Newark 186 186 New YorkNew York
Detroit 123
182 123
Detroit Detroit 182 182 Boston Boston
Buffalo 111171 111
Buffalo Buffalo 171 171 Philadelphia
Philadelphia
New York 109166 109
New YorkNew York 166 166 Buffalo
Seattle Buffalo 93 93
164
Seattle Seattle 164 164 Detroit Detroit
Boston 93 93
156
Boston Boston 156 156 St.Miami
Louis Miami 85 85
153 N
St. LouisSt. Louis 153 153 New
San Orleans
New Orleans
Francisco 53 53 150
San Francisco
San Francisco 150 150 NewSt. LouisSt. Louis
Orleans 51 51 145
New Orleans
New Orleans 145 145 Denver Denver
Los Angeles 43 43
108 Was
Los Angeles
Los Angeles 108 108 Washington, DC
Washington,
Denver DC 38 8238
Denver Denver 82 82 DC Angeles 29 7129
Los Angeles
Washington, Los
Washington, DC
Washington, DC 71 71 San Diego
PhoenixSan Diego 28 59 28
Phoenix Phoenix 59 59 Phoenix Phoenix
Minneapolis 23 55 23
Minneapolis
Minneapolis 55 55 Atlanta 20 46 20
Dallas Atlanta
Dallas Dallas 46 46 Minneapolis 1632
Minneapolis
San Diego 16
San Diego32
San Diego 32 10
Dallas 0 Dallas 10 300
225
0 0 300 300 0 0 225 225
About
??? DAWN
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a national surveillance system that monitors drug-related
morbidity and mortality. Section 505 of the Public Health Service Act assigns this responsibility to the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. The Act requires SAMHSA to report annually on drug-related visits to hospital emergency
departments and on drug-related deaths reviewed by medical examiners and coroners. SAMHSA has a contract
with Westat, a private research firm based in Rockville, MD, to operate the DAWN system.
DAWN collects data from a scientific sample of hospital emergency departments and a set of medical examiners
and coroners from across the U.S., with concentrations in selected metropolitan areas. Each participating facility
has a DAWN Reporter who is specially trained to identify DAWN cases by retrospectively reviewing emergency
department medical records or death investigation case files. No patient, family member, or physician is ever
interviewed. No direct identifiers for individual patients or decedents are collected.
Beginning in 2003, DAWN cases include any emergency department visit or death that was related to drug use.
Reportable cases include drug abuse, misuse, overmedication, accidental and malicious poisonings, and adverse
drug reactions. For each case, the DAWN Reporter submits a case report detailing the specific drugs involved,
and characteristics of the patient or decedent and event (visit or death). Patient and decedent characteristics
include demographics (age, gender, race/ethnicity) and ZIP code. Other data items include date/time, chief
complaint, diagnoses, and disposition for each emergency department visit; and date, cause, manner, and place
of death for each decedent.