Kent finds drug overdose cases down from 2 years ago

John Howell
Posted 11/20/14

While there have been 188 apparently accidental drug overdose deaths since Jan. 1, The state’s rate of overdose deaths is less than what it was locally about two years ago, according to Dr. Michael …

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Kent finds drug overdose cases down from 2 years ago

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While there have been 188 apparently accidental drug overdose deaths since Jan. 1, The state’s rate of overdose deaths is less than what it was locally about two years ago, according to Dr. Michael Dacey Jr., president and COO of Kent Hospital.

“It certainly is not as bad as it was when we had that press conference,” Dacey said yesterday, referring to a similar press conference then.

He estimated the emergency department is treating an average of 50 overdose patients a month. Two years ago the hospital was seeing higher rates and, in one weekend, there were as many as three accidental overdose deaths.

“There was a lot of heroin,” Dacey said.

To his recollection, police made an arrest soon after that joint press conference with the Department of Health, and there was a corresponding decline in overdose cases.

“What’s different is the availability of heroin,” he said. “It’s been a big part of the problem.”

Dacey said overdoses usually fall into three categories: due to recreational use, suicide and accidental use.

The hospital has been distributing free Narcan kits, which counter the effects of an overdose and can save a life to patients treated for overdoses when they are released. Dacey said the hospital has been criticized for giving the kits to people who would appear to be recreational drug users but, he pointed out, it saves lives.

“I think it is the right thing to do,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Health Department reported that, of the 188 accidental overdose deaths since the beginning of the year, eight occurred in the month of November. Of the total number of accidental deaths since January 1, 2014, 163 (90%) of the screened cases involved at least one opioid medication. At least 64 (36%) of the cases involved Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid. These apparent accidental deaths have taken place in 31 different cities and towns in Rhode Island affecting men and women of all ages and ethnicities:

• 136 men and 52 women ranging in age from 20 to 65.

• 37 people in their twenties, 56 people in their thirties, 45 people in their forties, 43 people in their fifties, and 7 people in their sixties;

• 167 people were white, 20 were black, and 1 was Asian.

The department further reported that since January 1, Rhode Island Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have administered 1,413 doses of Narcan. From April 2 to Oct. 31, emergency departments in Rhode Island reported administering Narcan 95 times.

Naloxone (Narcan) is an emergency antidote to opioid overdose. It is used in situations to reverse the effects of drug overdoses.

Data from Rhode Islands Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), available to the public on the department’s website, continue to demonstrate that the amount and volume of prescribed controlled substances is not decreasing.

In October, 114,869 individuals filled a prescription for a schedule 2, 3 or 4 drug in Rhode Island. Likewise, in October alone, 1.2 million doses of stimulants, 1.6 million doses of schedule 2 pain medicines and 5.5 million doses of benzodiazepines were prescribed.

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