A recent article in the Republican highlighted a decline in opioid deaths for the second year in a row, “Opioid overdose deaths drop," Feb. 14. It certainly is good to know that the increase in funding to support initiatives and programs to treat opioid use disorder and prevent overdose are making a difference.

Near the end of the piece, however, the author notes that a disproportionate number of Hispanic people die from opioid overdose and the rate of opioid deaths around black men has increased by nearly half. This should be the main point of the article. The unilateral reduction of opioid overdose deaths by only white people suggests unequal access to the programs and services that have been added in the past few years. As such, an exploration of what needs to be done differently at the state and local level to create equitable outcomes is warranted.

Jordon D. Bosse, PhD, RN, Westfield