Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jan 2017 Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) Copyright: 2017 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Contact: http://www.telegram.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/509 Note: Rarely prints LTEs from outside circulation area - requires 'Letter to the Editor' in subject Author: Steven H. Foskett Jr. OPIOID DEATH TOLL AGAIN HITS TRIPLE DIGITS IN WORCESTER COUNTY WORCESTER - Last year was another rough year in the fight against opioid addiction, and Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. had some numbers to prove it at a forum Monday night at Worcester Technical High School. The district attorney said there were 148 overdose deaths in Worcester County last year, and he cautioned that as toxicology test results come back, that number could still rise. He said for four years that number has been in the triple digits, and said it has impacted the cities and the suburbs. He said that in nearly three quarters of those overdose deaths, the powerful drug fentanyl played a role. The numbers he rattled off were grim, but the forum, sponsored by his office, brought together various social service, government and healthcare agencies, and also included success stories, both at personal and programmatic levels. Various groups were represented, from Aids Project Worcester to the Rockdale Recovery High School. Mr. Early said it has become clear that addressing the opioid crisis has to be a battle fought with compassion. Everyone suffering from opioid addiction is someone's loved one, he said. He said the use of the anti-overdose drug Narcan has increased, and said he supports efforts to prevent doctors from over-prescribing painkillers that often serve as a starting point for stories of addiction. City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. and Police Chief Steven Sargent talked about how the city's approach to addiction has evolved. Mr. Augustus said there were 1,148 overdoses in the city last year; 53 were fatal. That means the city's work is not done, he said. But he pointed to several initiatives that have had some success, including needle exchange, prescription drug drop-off, and Narcan training for city employees. He said the city is willing to try new things to get a handle on the problem. Chief Sargent said the biggest change in his department's approach has been in philosophy. He said officers are now trained to see the problem as a disease, and not a crime. To that end, officers on the Crisis Intervention Team are actively working with people who seek recovery to try to connect them with services. Sometimes it's just a matter of having an officer physically stay with a person while efforts are made to get someone into treatment. And getting that treatment can be difficult. Kimberly Rockwood, who said she is in recovery but helps others seeking treatment, said part of the problem is that there simply are not enough beds. Other advocates at the forum also called on more efforts to make "treatment-on-demand" more widely available. State Rep. James O'Day, D-West Boylston, noted that among the most recent "9C" state budget cuts was some money for substance abuse. But he said he's also willing to have a broader discussion about funding for treatment. He said the issue might be big enough to bring up the idea of a tax to fund treatment efforts. Susan Hillis, treatment director at AdCare Hospital, said she would like to see more availability of long-term beds - that could accommodate treatment for up to six months. And she said criticism of medication-assisted therapies is misplaced. She said you never see someone break a leg and have the doctor just tell that person to get up and walk. She said medication-assisted therapies for addiction are an adjunct to treatment. Joanne Peterson, founder of Learn to Cope, talked about the impact addiction has on families, and Rebecca Zwicker, a recovery coach with the Salvation Army, told her personal story of addiction and recovery to illustrate first-hand what opioid abuse can do to a family. She said she was first prescribed prescription painkillers after a car crash on Interstate 290. At that time, she had a house, and two young children. Her addiction progressed quickly, and she said she became a "pill chaser" who spent time in and out of detox facilities. She said her high-school age daughter wrote an essay last year detailing what it was like living with a mother struggling with addiction. She said her daughter recalled that as an eight-year-old, she knew whether he mother was struggling by the attention to detail given to her daily peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for school. On good days, the crust would be carefully cut off. On bad days, the sandwich was slapped together and thrown in the lunch bag, her daughter wrote. With the help of Judge Michael G. Allard-Madaus, who runs the city's drug court - one of two in the county. Ms. Zwicker said she was able to enter into recovery. She said she felt like the judge really cared about what happened to her, which she said played an important role in her recovery. "I never thought he would care," she said. "I've been clean ever since." - --- MAP posted-by: