An ambulance leaves Hennepin County Medical Center as it responds to a call on July 1, 2024. Photo by Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for their free newsletter to receive stories in your inbox.
Opioids have killed more than 4,000 people in Minnesota over the past five years.
Who are these Minnesotans? Sahan Journal looked at death records to determine which communities are most at risk. We confirmed that the problem is far worse for people of color in Minnesota. And, with new data and greater clarity, we’re showing how the disparities are impacting specific communities: From 2019 to 2023, Native Americans were at least 15 times more likely to die from opioid overdoses than white people. Somali Minnesotans were at least twice as likely to die from opioid overdose than their white counterparts. Latino Minnesotans were 1.5 times more likely to suffer fatal overdoses.
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