News
New Approach to Treatment Saving Lives
Narcan, an opiate-inhibitor which can stop an overdose.
November 13, 2010
Boston is seeing a marked decline in the number of fatalities from heroin, oxycontin, fentanyl and other opiates, according to a recent report by the Boston Public Health Commission. Drug-related hospitalizations are also way down, and many credit a different approach to the endemic problem as the reason why.
The Health of Boston report cites a 36% decline in substance abuse fatalities, from 2006 to 2008. The same study notes hospitalizations from drug use decreased by 48% from 2002 to 2008.
HRiA's Greater Boston Center for Healthy Communities program has been highly involved in laying the groundwork for this successful effort. The Center assisted Boston coalitions in their planning, using data to help them select appropriate and effective strategies. Chief among these were getting outreach staff working directly with drug users and having them equipped with an opiate-inhibitor which can stop an overdose.
In the South End, work on the streets dovetails with counseling in a clinical setting. Project ASSERT (Alcohol, Substance abuse, Services, Education, Referral, Treatment) at Boston Medical Center is one of several programs training advocates how to educate drug users about treatment and recovery options.
The two-pronged approach of outreach and counseling provides intervention and support for users at two critical points: when they are about to engage in drug use and when they are recovering from a potentially fatal overdose.
The impact of Narcan, an inhibitor that blocks the potentially fatal effects of opiates including heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, codeine and methadone, has been dramatic. Statewide, more than have 500 users have been revived from overdoses using Narcan, according to the Department of Public Health.
One outreach worker described coming across an overdose victim who was completely blue in the face from a lack of oxygen. He administered Narcan and successfully revived the man. During his recovery, the man met with a Project ASSERT advocate and was referred for inpatient treatment and counseling.
According to many advocates, drug users often see their near death experience as a wake-up call to turn their lives around.
Lifesaving interactions like these emphasize just how important outreach is in prevention strategies. They also underscore the need for collaboration among different agencies and for multiple ways of intervening.
"This program, and the success it is having in reducing incidences of overdose, demonstrates that a collaborative effort with many engaged and committed partners can successfully address a complex issue," said Tracy Desovich, Director of the Greater Boston Center for Healthy Communities. Desovich believes the program could be replicated across the Commonwealth and beyond.
The Center, which is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, is assisting with the evaluation of the program, looking for ways to improve upon its success.
HRiA is also integrating key health communication approaches into overdose prevention. The Roxbury/Jamaica Plain Substance Use Coalition is engaged in a "Linking Incarcerates" effort to prevent overdoses in recently released inmates. In partnership with the coalition, HRiA redeveloped wallet cards in English and Spanish, and a poster used in prison-based education sessions, focused on how to prevent overdoses using Narcan and other strategies.
The Health of Boston report cites a 36% decline in substance abuse fatalities, from 2006 to 2008. The same study notes hospitalizations from drug use decreased by 48% from 2002 to 2008.
HRiA's Greater Boston Center for Healthy Communities program has been highly involved in laying the groundwork for this successful effort. The Center assisted Boston coalitions in their planning, using data to help them select appropriate and effective strategies. Chief among these were getting outreach staff working directly with drug users and having them equipped with an opiate-inhibitor which can stop an overdose.
In the South End, work on the streets dovetails with counseling in a clinical setting. Project ASSERT (Alcohol, Substance abuse, Services, Education, Referral, Treatment) at Boston Medical Center is one of several programs training advocates how to educate drug users about treatment and recovery options.
The two-pronged approach of outreach and counseling provides intervention and support for users at two critical points: when they are about to engage in drug use and when they are recovering from a potentially fatal overdose.
The impact of Narcan, an inhibitor that blocks the potentially fatal effects of opiates including heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, codeine and methadone, has been dramatic. Statewide, more than have 500 users have been revived from overdoses using Narcan, according to the Department of Public Health.
One outreach worker described coming across an overdose victim who was completely blue in the face from a lack of oxygen. He administered Narcan and successfully revived the man. During his recovery, the man met with a Project ASSERT advocate and was referred for inpatient treatment and counseling.
According to many advocates, drug users often see their near death experience as a wake-up call to turn their lives around.
Lifesaving interactions like these emphasize just how important outreach is in prevention strategies. They also underscore the need for collaboration among different agencies and for multiple ways of intervening.
"This program, and the success it is having in reducing incidences of overdose, demonstrates that a collaborative effort with many engaged and committed partners can successfully address a complex issue," said Tracy Desovich, Director of the Greater Boston Center for Healthy Communities. Desovich believes the program could be replicated across the Commonwealth and beyond.
The Center, which is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, is assisting with the evaluation of the program, looking for ways to improve upon its success.
HRiA is also integrating key health communication approaches into overdose prevention. The Roxbury/Jamaica Plain Substance Use Coalition is engaged in a "Linking Incarcerates" effort to prevent overdoses in recently released inmates. In partnership with the coalition, HRiA redeveloped wallet cards in English and Spanish, and a poster used in prison-based education sessions, focused on how to prevent overdoses using Narcan and other strategies.
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