Laserfiche WebLink
adults reported symptoms of depression or anxiety, up from 11 percent in the first half of 2019.46 <br />The mental health impacts of the pandemic have been particularly acute for adults ages 18 to 24, <br />racial and ethnic minorities, caregivers for adults, and essential workers, with all reporting <br />significantly higher rates of considering suicide.47 The proportion of children's emergency <br />department visits related to mental health has also risen noticeably.48 Similarly, rates of <br />substance use and overdose deaths have spiked: preliminary data from the CDC show a nearly <br />30 percent increase in drug overdose mortality from April 2020 to April 2021, bringing the <br />estimated overdose death toll for a 12-month period over 100,000 for the first time ever.49 The <br />CDC also found that 13 percent of adults started or increased substance use to cope with stress <br />related to COVID-19 and 26 percent reported having symptoms of trauma- and stressor-related <br />disorder (TRSD) related to the pandemic.5° <br />Another public health challenge exacerbated by the pandemic was violent crime and gun <br />violence, which increased during the pandemic and has disproportionately impacted low-income <br />communities.51 According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), although the property <br />crime rate fell 8 percent in 2020, the violent crime rate increased 6 percent in 2020 compared to <br />46 Nirmita Panchal et al., The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Abuse (Feb. 10, 2021), <br />https://www.kff.org/coronaviruscovid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19- for -mental -health -and -substance - <br />use/#: —:text= Older%20adults%20are%20also%20 more,prior%20to%20the%20current%20crisis; Mark E. Czeisler <br />et al., Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Suicidal Ideation During COVID-19 Pandemic— United States, June 24- <br />30 2020, Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 69(32):1049-57 (Aug. 14, 2020), <br />http s ://www. c do . gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm69 3 2 a 1. htm. <br />47 <br />Id. <br />48 Rebecca T. Leeb et al., Mental Health -Related Emergency Department Visits Among Children Aged <18 Years <br />During the COVID Pandemic United States, January 1-October 17, 2020, Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. <br />69(45):1675-80 (Nov. 13, 2020), https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm. <br />49 Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, National Center for Health Statistics, Provisional Drug Overdose <br />Death Counts, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm (last visited May 8December 6, 2021). <br />'Panchal, supra note 42; Mark E. Czeisler et al., supra note 42. <br />51 The White House, FACT SHEET: More Details on the Biden-Harris Administration's Investments in Community <br />Violence Interventions (April 7, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements- <br />releases/2021 /04/07/fact-sheet-more-details-on-the-biden-harris-administrations-investments-in-community- <br />violence-interventions/. <br />50 <br />