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Purple flags are placed at City Hall to represent the lives lost due to overdoses. ~Photo by Bobbie Toner
By Eileen Qiu
A motion to adopt the declaration of the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic as an existing public health emergency was unanimously favored during last Thursday’s Board of Health meeting.
“The city of Somerville has lost 29 residents to fatal overdoses in the past five years,” Doug Kress, the Director of Health and Human Services said.
Since 2015, Somerville has had an average 11 non-fatal overdose cases for every 100 cases in Massachusetts, Kress said.
Some of the requests we’re trying to put together would be to add additional support and outreach programs, Kress said.
How the opioid crisis has grown and impacted the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented additional stressors would be a topic of research under the declaration Kress said.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts now has the eighth highest rate of overdose mortality in the country and second highest rate in New England, Kress said.
“Increasing overdose rates among Black Massachusetts residents underscores the racial health and equities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kress said. “The Somerville Board of Health recognizes the need for regional action.”
In addition to raising awareness regarding the opioid epidemic, Kress also encouraged people to view the Somerville COVID-19 dashboard for the most up to date data regarding the pandemic.
There are currently around 7,000 total positive cases in the city with 93 fatalities and a 1% positivity rate within the last 14 days.
The suspension of a license for three days as a first offense of a sale of tobacco products to a minor was also discussed by staff member Bonny Carroll and Tobacco Control Director DJ. Wilson and Prevention Services Manager Matthew Mitchell. State law requires at least one day of license suspension as a first offense for selling to a minor and a suspension of seven days as a penalty for a second offense.
“A three suspension is kind of in the middle and might be what makes sense,” Carroll said.
The city of Chelsea had already adopted a three-day suspension policy, and Cambridge and Revere are likely to follow suit, according to Carroll.
The three-day suspension is a suggestion, Carroll said and could be changed, but it would be useful to clarify to retailers, exactly what the repercussions of offenses are when one occurs.
The next meeting will be held Thursday, November 18.
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What about opening a detox in City to help these people? There was one in Somerville hospital years ago. Let’s help these people to recover. Opening a safe injection site will enable the people suffering from this disease.
As someone who lost their Mother to a fentanyl overdose in 2018, I encourage all to begin disconnecting from the traditional “war on drugs” mentality and begin embracing more modern approaches to this epidemic. Data shows that supervised consumption sites are effective in transitioning our addicted neighbors to sobriety. If implemented correctly and responsibly, this method can help curb this multi-decade issue that has taken the lives of so many.
A safe injection site is a recipe for disaster. Those who are too foolish to learn the lessons of the current methadone mile in Boston. will just be creating Methadone Mile 2.0 in Somerville. All it will do is increase crime, attract more drug dealers to the area, have a negative impact on businesses, and decrease the quality of life in Somerville.
Sit down, grandpa. The serious adults are talking.
…and absolutely none of that happened with the current implementation of supervised injection sites, so…
I don’t love the idea of supervised consumption sites, but the evidence shows they work so i am willing to give it a try, what raises my hackles is the idea that its a free-for-all in terms of access. It should be limited to somerville residents and partner with the state public health dept. to document the impact. if its successful it can be adopted elsewhere.
How about AA? It’s saved millions of lives of addicts and alcoholics.
The last time I checked, alcohol is not served or consumed at AA meetings and liquor stores don’t spring up around AA meeting locations.
What’s being proposed is a warehouse, one size fits all, solution, located in an area that is not best suited to meet the true needs of the recipients of this benefit and will also create a toxic fallout around the neighborhood it is located within.
A better solution would be to work with the legislators and governor at the state level to develop a comprehensive holistic solution. Rather than treating people at a warehouse, allow each individual health care provider with the authority to be a safe, monitored injection site. This will allow those requiring treatment to be treated within their own community and ideally have a consistent health care provider to not only perform the drug administration but also to oversee their overall health.
The proposal just presented provides more benefit to not just the drug consumer but also the overall community. It has not been embraced because it’s not a big government solution, which seems to be the only type of solution that our so-called enlightened progressives are capable of seeing. The proposal that has been presented by the city has many flaws, misleading “facts” and only tells part of the story:
1. The hearings presented only one point of view and omitted many key stakeholders.
2. The hearings were essentially a one-sided “shut up and listen to the so-called experts” event rather than a community engaging hearing,
3. Success stories from other countries are not fully indicative of our capability to import the same solution here as there are other cultural and legal factors that need to be considered.
4. The metrics for success were very limited. Essentially just a count of how many people have been injected and did not die.
5. There is no defined end game or exit strategy. There should be one to define when the program is a success and can be shutoff. There should be another one that defines triggers for when it should be shut down if it creates an adverse impact on the local community.
6. There was no representation from the residents and businesses within the community where this would be located.
7. The police were intentionally not included to provide their feedback.
8. Transportation was not discussed. What do we do when someone is injected at 2:00 AM when the mass transit system is shut down? Let them get in their car and drive? Do we let them bring tents?
9. Ignored the reality that drug dealers will go to where their customers are located. When the drug dealers setup shop here, guess where their customers will be visiting to buy their drugs.
10. They ignored what is currently happening in Boston’s “Methadone Mile” and did not consider any lessons learned from that disaster.
11. There was no presentation on how current state and federal laws will be addressed.
While AA is a great tool for the journey through recovery and sobriety, it is not best used to enter recovery or sobriety. A medical detox is needed as one can have severe even fatal consequences from detoxing on their own, a solid stint in a rehabilitation center and sober living for a proper transition. Supervised consumption sites offer a space for intervention and transport to a medical detox and have already proven successful where implemented.