Title
2020 Annual Coroner's Report, Youth Suicide Prevention & Behavioral Health
Presenter:
Dr. Leon Kelley, El Paso County Coroner
Susan Wheelan, El Paso County Public Health Director
Body
Summary:
Key takeaways from the 2020 report include:
• 6,037 total cases investigated
• 1,293 total autopsies performed (a nine percent increase over 2019)
o 920 autopsies performed on El Paso County deaths
o 373 autopsies performed for 21 surrounding counties
Top themes from the 2020 report include:
• Overall, deaths increased in nearly every category
• The total number of all drug-related deaths increased significantly from 130 in 2019 to 186 in
2020. Of note, 40 percent of deaths were due to a combination of substances.
o Fentanyl deaths increases from 21 in 2019 to 47 in 2020
o Methamphetamine deaths increased from 66 in 2019 to 91 in 2020
o Cocaine deaths increased from 20 in 2019 to 30 in 2020
o Heroin deaths increased from 35 in 2019 to 43 in 2020
• While suicides overall did not see an increase in El Paso County (180 in 2019 compared to 178 in 2020), suicides among youth between the ages of 11-17 increased significantly (nine in 2019 compared to 15 in 2020)
o Of note, investigations revealed 18 cases where COVID-19 associated grief or stress was a
driving factor in the suicide
o Across all suicides, the average age at death was 42, and 79 percent of completed suicides
were male
• There were 13 COVID-19 deaths brought in for autopsy. However, it’s important to note that the majority of COVID-19 deaths occur in a hospital or care facility setting and are not investigated by the Coroner. The deaths in this report represent those that died at home or prior to diagnosis.
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Summary of Ordinance Language
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