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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Boston overdose deaths decreased by double digit percentage in 2024; lowest in 10 years
Overdose deaths in Boston decreased by a notable 38% last year, according to a new data analysis released by the city's Public Health Commission. It was the lowest number of related deaths since 2015, reflecting 'the continuation of an encouraging downward trend,' the commission said, that has also played out nationally. Drug overdose deaths nationwide fell by nearly 27% during 2024, provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows — welcome relief from the crisis that at its worst claimed more than 107,000 lives in 2022. Read more: More and more Mass. children were being harmed by overdoses. That changed last year Many public health officials and those working in substance use have attributed the decrease to the increased availability of harm reduction tools, such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips, as well as the ever-changing illicit drug supply itself. Last month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration released its annual threat assessment showing average fentanyl purity is falling. Meanwhile, drug traffickers are introducing new contaminants into the street supply, often unknown to people who use the drugs. An especially promising sign within Boston's 2024 overdose data is the significant drop in deaths of Black and Latino residents, specifically men, who in recent years were disproportionately impacted by the opioid crisis. Read more: There's a new opioid antidote. But Mass. health officials are hesitant to endorse it While overdose death rates for white people were dropping, they increased for people of color. For example, in 2023, Black and Indigenous men across Massachusetts had the highest opioid-related death rates, compared to a 16% drop in the death rates among white men. But 2024 in Boston told a different story: opioid-related mortality in the city fell by 59% for Black men and 52% for Latino men. Overall, Black and Latino residents experienced an overall 58% and 48% decrease, respectively. The city called the numbers 'an encouraging sign.' Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston's public health commissioner, said the new data reinforces the city's commitment to 'eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and to ensuring equitable access to services for people with substance use disorders.' 'While we are encouraged by these data, we still have work to do,' she said. Last year, the city of Boston distributed over 23,000 doses of naloxone — the overdose reversal medication — via street outreach, public health vending machines, kiosks and community grants. Read MassLive's series on deadly pill press machines The Boston Public Health Commission conducted over 25,000 engagements with people and made over 2,000 treatment placements, often driving patients directly to a detox or treatment facility, the city said. In a statement, Mayor Michelle Wu said the new data represents 'the impact of our collective efforts to combat the opioid crisis, but emphasizes our continued support to communities who are disproportionately affected.' RFK Jr. says US ending COVID shot recommendation for healthy children, pregnant women Dangerous allergen triggers nationwide chicken soup public health alert Biden's cancer renews debate about prostate screenings for older men Listeria alert: Premade wraps at Big Y, Price Chopper trigger health warning Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
29-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Drug overdose deaths in Massachusetts plummet to lowest levels in a decade
'These data reinforce our commitment to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and to ensuring equitable access to services for people with substance use disorders,' said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, commissioner of public health for the city of Boston, in a statement. 'While we are encouraged by these data, we still have work to do. One life lost to overdose is one life too many.' Advertisement Public health officials and those who work with people with substance use disorders point to a constellation of forces behind the decline. These include expanded treatment and prevention efforts, the increased availability of Advertisement Yet another significant factor could also be at play: changes in the illicit drug supply. Fentanyl, Still, addiction specialists cautioned that it's too early to tell if the state has turned the corner on the overdoses crisis, which has claimed more than 20,000 lives in Massachusetts in the past decade. The illicit drug supply is changing constantly, with new and addictive substances being mixed into street drugs. Over the past two years, for instance, New England has seen a troubling trend in which dealers are selling drugs mixed with a variety of substances. A counterfeit Xanax pill can be laced with cocaine, fentanyl, and Other treatment specialists are worried about whether the recent gains can be sustained if Congress prevails in its efforts to offset trillions in tax cuts with cuts to Medicaid and other federal health plans, including those addressing the drug crisis. The Republican budget bill that passed the House last week could Advertisement Allyson Pinkhover, director of substance use services at Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, is concerned. More than 70 percent of the 824 patients that received treatment at the health center last year were enrolled in Medicaid, she said. Those left without insurance will be less likely to seek services and some treatment programs may shut down or limit services, she said. 'The [proposed] cuts to Medicaid are a direct threat to the years of progress that we've made‚" Pinkhover said. 'Every fiber of my being wants to be excited about this [reduction in overdoses], but there's a feeling in your gut that it's fragile, that it won't last.' And despite the recent progress, drug fatalities remain historically high. Nationwide, 80,391 people died of drug overdoses in 2024, and overdoses remain 'This is a really meaningful reduction, but it's not the time to take our hands off the steering wheel,' said Dr. Miriam Harris, an addiction expert at Boston Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Boston University. 'Too many people are still dying and the unregulated drug supply is too dynamic to declare victory.' Advertisement Even so, the Commonwealth is showing progress in reducing While members of the Black and Hispanic community are still dying of overdoses at disproportionate rates, their share of overall overdoses has begun to decline. People who identify as Black or Hispanic represented 27.5 percent of opioid-related overdoses over the 12-month period ending last June, compared with 30.6 percent in the same period in 2023, according to 'The sharp drop in overdoses across all racial and ethnic groups is a promising sign that the Healey-Driscoll Administration's targeted investments in overdose prevention strategies are working and should continue,' said Deirdre Calvert, director of the state's Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, in a statement. 'In particular, our efforts to reduce unintentional exposure to fentanyl, often caused by a contaminated drug supply, have raised awareness of the risk of overdose and increased uptake of naloxone, drug testing, and other evidence-based harm reduction strategies.' Chris Serres can be reached at
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Significant decrease' in overdose deaths in Boston during part of 2024, health officials say
New data shows a 'significant decrease' in opioid-related overdose deaths from May to August 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, city health officials said Wednesday. From May to August 2024, opioid-related overdose deaths among Boston residents were down 39% overall, Boston Public Health Commission officials said. The greatest decreases were seen among Black and Latinx residents, who saw a 56% and 28% decrease in overdose deaths, respectively, officials said. The new analysis is preliminary and represents only a portion of 2024, but city health officials called it an encouraging sign of progress. 'The use of evidence-based strategies, including increasing access to naloxone, decreasing substance use stigma, and expanding mobile outreach has played an integral part in continuing this promising trend,' Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said in a statement. 'To maintain this momentum, it is imperative that we continue to provide our communities with resources, support, and education to make lasting progress in the fight against substance use and overdose,' Ojikutu said. According to the Commission's Live Long and Well population health equity agenda, unintentional drug overdose is the leading cause of early death in Boston, and it disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx communities. Black and Latinx residents account for 40% of Boston's total population, but from May to August 2024, they accounted for 52% of all overdose deaths. The Commission is also evaluating various factors that contribute to the decline in overdose deaths, such as increasing access to naloxone, a medication that quickly reverses an opioid overdose, officials said. In 2024, the Health Commission distributed nearly 22,000 doses of naloxone across Boston. The Health Commission also launched a campaign to educate the public about ways to protect loved ones from overdose and granted $1 million in funding to five community organizations to distribute naloxone, provide overdose education, and link people to care. Recently, city officials installed four public health vending machines across the city and eight indoor naloxone distribution kiosks. Those locations, as well as other places that offer free or over-the-counter naloxone, can be found using the map at Organizations can also request free naloxone at that website. 'Having naloxone means you are prepared for when emergencies happen, which is especially important if you know your loved ones use substances,' Leah Randolph, executive director and co-owner of Commonwealth Mental Health & Wellness Center and leader of the Massachusetts Black Alcohol and Addictions Council, said in a statement. 'Naloxone saves lives, and ensuring more people have access to it is a critical step in combating the overdose crisis,' Randolph said. 'However, we must also prioritize training in highly impacted communities to ensure everyone knows how and when to use this life-saving resource effectively.' The Commission's Recovery Services Bureau continues to provide outreach, treatment and programs in the community. The Bureau's Post Overdose Response Team, comprised of harm reduction specialists and first responders, conducts in-person, home-based outreach after 911 overdose calls, and offers support, education, and referrals to resources, officials said. In 2024, the team completed 285 visits, officials said. The Health Commission has been steadily increasing prevention services throughout Boston by expanding community outreach, housing and mental health services, harm reduction, and support groups, health officials said. Harm reduction and treatment referrals are available through the Commission's AHOPE and PAATHS programs. AHOPE offers lifesaving harm reduction services including syringe exchange; drug checking to identify the presence of fentanyl and xylazine; naloxone distribution; and screening for HIV, hepatitis, and other bloodborne illnesses that can be spread through intravenous drug use, officials said. The PAATHS program connects people to a variety of treatment services including detox, medication for opioid use disorder, and outpatient treatment programs. For support with substance use disorders, call the PAATHS program at 1-855-494-4057 or call 3-1-1. For more information, visit This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
29-01-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Boston becomes first city to launch fund for families of drug overdose victims
The fund culminates more than a year of planning and community meetings over how to spend money from opioid legal settlements, and comes as both Boston and the state show signs of progress in the decades-long fight to stem the tide of overdose deaths. Advertisement The commission reported preliminary numbers Wednesday showing that opioid-related overdose deaths declined 39 percent citywide between May and August of last year — after rising the previous year. In 2023, statewide, according to the state Department of Public Health. 'If we're going to use the opioid settlement dollars in any way that's most meaningful, then we need to allocate money, first and foremost, to families with lost loved ones — mothers, fathers, children, parents who were left behind and suffering from loss," said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston's public health commissioner, who announced the fund at an event at Nubian Square in Roxbury. The new support fund also reflects greater awareness of the devastation wrought by the opioid epidemic, and a lessening of the stigma that has long been associated with opioid use. More than 40 percent of adults nationwide say they personally know at least one person who died from a drug overdose, and about one-third of those individuals say their lives were disrupted by the death, according to Advertisement In recent years, parents who have lost children to overdoses have become more outspoken and organized — testifying at state houses for new prevention strategies and often starting charitable funds of their own to support grieving families. In Massachusetts, years of grassroots lobbying by families played a role in the passage of insurance coverage for overdose-reversal medications such as Narcan as well as addiction recovery services. Yet the needs for families impacted by the epidemic are immense. 'A lot of times, the children of overdose victims are forgotten,' said Joanne Peterson, the founder and executive director of Peterson's group recently donated $20,000 to families of 26 children who have lost at least one parent to an overdose, or whose parents are absent because of addiction. Money went to pay for children's clothing, therapy, day care, summer camps and even the cost of burying a parent, she said. To qualify for Boston's new support fund, an applicant must live in Boston and have lost their family member within two years. The deceased must be a spouse, father, father-in-law, brother, sister, child, grandparent, grandchild, legal guardian, or other member of the applicant's immediate household. Those who are approved will not receive the cash directly; instead, the fund will pay service providers directly, limited to $5,000 per invoice. Advertisement Some of the expenses that the fund will cover include funerals, burials and cremation services for a relative who died of an overdose, a well as clinical therapy for surviving family members. It will also cover activities for surviving children, such as sports, music lessons and summer camp. More than 50 families will receive assistance through the fund, which is expected to last two years. As of November of last year, Boston Chris Serres can be reached at
