Between 2012 and 2022, more than 20,000 Massachusetts residents died as a result of an opioid-related overdose. 2022 alone saw more than 2,300 such deaths, the highest number recorded in a single year. For years, Berkshire County recovery advocates have called for overdose prevention centers, saying they would protect against the risks of a tainted drug supply and using alone. Stephen Murray, now the Director of the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline, spoke with WAMC in March 2020 while he was still working as a paramedic in the Northern Berkshires.
“We're still finding people alone and dead, and that's why I've become such a strong advocate for harm reduction, and why I've been a vocal advocate for supervised consumption sites, because using alone is deadly," said Murray. "And we allow people, through this sort of stigmatized societal constraint, to feel like they have to do something alone and in the shadows, whereas if we looked at this like a disease like we look at all other sorts of medical diseases, where they need to be treated in a more open, caring, supportive environment, we would look at places like Portugal and we'd look at places like Canada and we'd say, wow, what they're doing here is saving lives, because people aren't using alone.”
In January, Gary Pratt – the Executive Director of Southern Berkshire County-based Rural Recovery – told WAMC that overdose prevention centers are a critical next step after the State Senate voted to legalize fentanyl test strips.
“There's a lot of misconceptions about what safer consumption sites look like," said Pratt. "People think that they're just giant shooting galleries, but they're not. Medical professionals are there to help somebody if they do overdose. And then, the moment that they say that they want to go to treatment, they go to treatment.”
Julie MacDonald of Pittsfield-based peer group Living in Recovery agreed about the role supervised consumption sites can play in curbing overdose deaths.
“There are nurses there, there are people there that if people have an opiate use disorder, they're there if someone goes into overdose," said MacDonald. "And they're also there, to be able to provide them with options and resources, should they decide that they don't want to use anymore- Whereas if you're hiding off somewhere to do it, right, you're less likely, if there's all of that shame and stigma attached, to reach out for help.”
In December, the Department of Public Health released a report acknowledging that the centers are an effective tool in preventing overdose deaths.
Now, the statewide movement Massachusetts for Overdose Prevention Centers has received the backing of labor unions 1199SEIU, SEIU Local 509, and Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare.
“When looking at a measure like overdose prevention centers, which have so much evidence behind really improving the lives of our patients and saving lives overall in our community, that's what makes us back them. It's us coming together and saying, hey, we as healthcare professionals working on the ground, we're going to use our voice and say, this is a measure that should be put into place, beyond the folks who, unfortunately run healthcare and this really corporate setting that we find ourselves working in," said Dr. Erica Lee, the Regional Vice President of Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare. “Speaking as a physician working in addictions care, I've seen overdose prevention centers at other places that have worked save lives, reduce the physical effects of addiction, especially injection drug use, as there are folks usually on the scene at the centers who are able to treat physical manifestations of addiction and substance use, and I found that folks who use substances are able to go to these places and find that they know exactly what they're taking when they are looking for these drugs so they're able to safely consume them. There's educating medical staff there who are there to help intervene in the case of overdose or taking too much, there's staff that are there to connect them to services, such as peer recovery coaches, as well as outpatient psychiatry, mental health services, as well as medical care.”
Massachusetts for Overdose Prevention Centers is backing state legislationthat would establish a 10-year pilot program exploring the impact of the facilities on preventing fatalities.
“So, I haven't heard a lot about this within the House in a few years, if I'm being honest with you, Josh," said Democratic State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier represents Pittsfield. "You know, I'm pretty open minded when it come when it comes to this. I think that the harm reduction approach is the one that yields the most results. So, you know, we'll have to see where that comes up in priority. There's so many priorities right now in the legislature, so- I just, I'm being honest with you. I haven't heard a lot about it.”
