Emergency Department Visits

Opioid ED Visits in Los Angeles County

According to HCAI data, there were a total of 119,517 emergency department (ED) visits in LAC from 2015 to 2024 that listed opioids as a diagnosis (abuse, dependence, use, or poisoning) or external-cause-of-injury. Opioid-related ED visits have fluctuated over the past decade, but still remain high (Figure 1).

About 38% of all opioid-related ED visits listed opioids as the principal diagnosis or principal external-cause-of-injury in 2015-2024. Primary opioid ED visits in LAC increased 150% from 2015 to 2023, then decreased 16% the following year (Figure 3). 

Among opioid poisoning ED visits with specified opioid type, prescription (Rx) opioids (including natural/semi-synthetic, methadone, and synthetic opioids) were the most frequently reported, with increases every year from 2016 to 2023 before dropping 24% in 2024 driven by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl (Figures 2, 4). Heroin poisoning ED visits peaked in 2018, and then decreased every year (Figures 1, 3). 

ED visits by SPA and Opioid Type

In 2024, the Antelope Valley region (SPA 1) had the highest rates of any mention and primary opioid ED visits for all opioid conditions overall and for all opioid poisoning types (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Opioid ED visits per 100,000 population by SPA, opioid type, and diagnosis type, LAC, 2024

Source: HCAI

Instructions:

Make a selection at the top of the maps to compare ED visit rates by SPA, opioid type, and diagnosis type.

Demographics by Opioid Type

Overall opioid-related ED visits were the highest among people aged 45-64 for 2016-2024. However, in the last 5 years, those aged 26-34 had the highest number of overall opioid-related ED visits, and also had the highest numbers for every opioid poisoning type except for natural/semi-synthetic opioids and heroin.  

ED visits for synthetic opioid-related poisoning driven by fentanyl increased dramatically from 2016 to 2023, particularly for those aged 26-34, then dropped substantially from 2023 to 2024. Older adults aged 65+ were the exception, as ED visits for synthetic opioid-related poisoning did not increase by much from 2016 to 2023, and continued to increase in 2024.

Heroin poisoning-related ED visit decreases since 2018 were driven by initial declines among younger adults aged 26-34 years and aged 18-25 years, and then were followed by declines among older age groups starting in 2021 (Figures 6-9). 

Males accounted for the majority of opioid-related ED visits and of all opioid poisoning types during 2016-2024. Males had a larger majority for heroin-related (78%) and synthetic opioid-related (66%) poisoning ED visit compared to natural/semi-synthetic opioid-related (54%) poisoning ED visits (Figures 10, 12). The gender disparity was greater for primary opioid ED visits for all opioid poisoning types (Figures 11, 13).

Whites accounted for the largest proportion of all opioid-related ED visits up until 2021, when Hispanic/Latinos continued a steep increasing trend and surpassed Whites, driven by synthetic opioids.

ED visits for synthetic opioids increased across race/ethnic groups from 2016-2023. In 2024, synthetic opioid-related ED visits decreased by around a quarter (20%-27%) for White, Hispanic/Latinos, and Blacks, but increased 43% among Asians.

While there were large consistent decreases in heroin-related ED visits every year since 2017 among Whites, heroin-related ED visits among Hispanic/Latinos continued an increasing trend until 2021 before dropping in 2022, and fluctuated among Blacks.

Since 2020, Hispanic/Latinos were the largest group for natural/semi-synthetic opioid–related ED visits.

Primary opioid ED visits followed a similar pattern to any mention ED visits (Figures 14-17).

References

Figures 1-17. Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). Nonpublic Inpatient Discharge and Emergency Department data, 2015-2024. California Department of Public Health.