By: Kate Lena
Governor Deval Patrick stated a few months ago that we are in the middle of a public health emergency. The number of people dying from opiate overdoses is extremely high, and drastic changes need to be made to combat this epidemic. With this declaration that we are in a state of emergency, Governor Patrick mandated that all first responders carry Narcan. We have heard a lot about this opiate overdose reversal medication in the news and from our local politicians. The information and the medication itself is in the hands of the people who need it most. So just to review, take a look at this infogram, that was put out by the Boston Public Health Commission about Narcan.
Looking at this information, we see that since 2007, more than 3,200 people in Boston have been recorded as being trained on how to use Narcan. This photo states that 2,000 lives have been saved from Narcan, but this number is from September of 2013 and only includes recorded report-backs of opiate overdoses. The Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission estimates that this number is now over 3,000 lives saved.
All of these numbers sound fantastic, and they are. But there are some more numbers that we should be looking at. At least 185 people died of suspected opiate overdoses between November 1, 2013 and February 24, 2014 in the state of Massachusetts. This past weekend in Boston, three people died of opiate overdoses. There were at least four other fatal overdoses in the neighborhoods surrounding Boston this weekend. Last week, two uncles and their nephew died from heroin overdoses in the same apartment in Salem, MA, on the same day. Although the state of Massachusetts is a very progressive state in regards to public health, we are still losing an extremely high number of citizens every day. Clearly, distributing Narcan is not enough. More needs to be done.
A client walked into the Boston Needle Exchange Program Monday May 19, 2014, after having completed his five days of detox treatment program. This client had been sober for a few months, but had a short relapse, so he went to detox. He advocated for himself to be placed in further long term treatment, but there were no beds available. He walked out of the doors of the detox and found himself in the middle of where he used to get high. His dealer was right around the corner. Feeling frustrated, he went right back to using. Something is wrong with this story, and unfortunately it is a very common one. In addition to focusing our efforts and finances on saving people who are overdosing, we need to distribute some of these resources to helping people who are ready to stop using.
This blog is the first of a two part series about opiate overdose and what else needs to be done to end this epidemic. In the second blog, you will read about the flaws in the drug treatment system in Massachusetts. Suggestions and recommendations will also be provided, based on personal experience, research that has been done by substance abuse professionals, and systems that are in place around the world.
Curious Where I Found This Information? Check Out the Following:
2. http://www.bphc.org/whatwedo/Addiction-Services/prevention/Pages/Narcan-Program.aspx
3. http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/newsroom/press-releases/dph/fight-against-opiate-overdose.html