The local health district has some of the highest numbers in the state for hospitalisations relating to opioids, methamphetamine and smoking.
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According to HealthStats NSW data, Hunter New England had the highest number of methamphetamine-related hospitalisations in NSW in 2019-20.
The local health district, which services roughly 920,370 people and stretches from the Hunter to parts of the Queensland border through New England, had 1384 hospitalisations attributed to methamphetamine that year.
But when the data is broken down into population rates per 100,000, the region ranks third in the state behind Southern NSW Local Health District (LHD) and Northern NSW.
In the same year, Hunter New England had the second highest number of opioid-related hospitalisations in the state with 1316.
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It followed South East Sydney LHD, which had the highest number at 1373.
But by population, Hunter New England ranked behind the Mid North Coast, the Central Coast - which had 200.6 cases per 100,000 people - and Northern NSW for opioid-related admissions.
In 2019-20, Hunter New England also recorded the highest number of smoking-attributable hospitalisations in NSW with 8479 admissions.
This was higher than the state average, but still behind Murrumbidgee, the Far West and Western NSW local health districts on population rates.
On the Central Coast, there were 3346 smoking-related hospitalisations.
Despite almost 4390 alcohol-attributable hospitalisations in 2019-20, Hunter New England ranked fourth among local health districts in NSW.
The highest number of alcohol-related admissions in NSW was in the Northern Sydney LHD, which had 7663 hospitalisations in 2019-20.
In Northern Sydney, the rate was about 740 admissions per 100,000 people, compared to Hunter New England's 425.4 per 100,000.
The rate per population for alcohol-related hospitalisations was higher on the Central Coast than the Hunter, with 609.5 admissions per 100,000 people.
Earlier data from 2018-19 shows the average number of alcohol-attributable deaths in Hunter New England was 300.
The Far West LHD, with 34.7 per 100,000 people, had the highest rates of alcohol attributable deaths.
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Anita Beaumont
Anita Beaumont is a health and general news reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Anita Beaumont is a health and general news reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
