Tag Archives: Narcan

Worcester community news you can use!

August 17, 2016 admin

The Family Health Center fair drew hundreds of folks to the Piedmont neighborhood! photos: R.T.

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Kids!!! TODAY!!!!! YAY!!!!

FREE!!!

We are happy to announce that we are holding free Boston Bruins Alumni Street Hockey Clinics Wednesday August 17 and 24 from 6pm-8pm at the Buffone Rink (Parking Lot).

There is no need to pre-register.

Come out and meet the Bruins Alumni, get a free Bruins Alumni T-shirt and have fun!

Founded by US Olympian and NHL veteran David A. Jensen in 2012, DAJ Hockey is New England’s premier on-ice/off-ice hockey skills training company. DAJ features on-ice hockey skills programs via Boston Bruins Alumni Camps and off-ice skills training at the high-tech DAJ Skills Centers in Foxboro and Attleboro, MA. DAJ also manages street hockey and floorball clinics, camps and leagues throughout New England.

DAJ’s “Hockey in the Streets” program brings the joy of hockey to urban children, who may otherwise not get the opportunity to play the sport!

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Worcester Bands Together To Fight Substance Use!

Upcoming Events Promote Recovery and Healing!

Over the past several years, August and September have been the worst months for opioid-related overdoses in our community and beyond.

In 2014, there was a significant increase in the number of opioid related deaths during the end of the summer.

Since then, the City of Worcester, the Department of Health and Human Services, and our community partners have partnered to respond to the national opioid epidemic – equipping all first responders with life-saving Narcan; training non-emergency city personnel on the use of Narcan; collecting hundreds of pounds of unused prescriptions; instituting the first-ever needle exchange program with AIDS Project Worcester; conducting training for medical professionals on the dangers of overprescribing pain medication; and working to alert the public to the dangers of addiction.

The City of Worcester continues to collect unused prescription drugs at a dropbox at Worcester Police Department Headquarters and at all neighborhood watch meetings.

“Battling the opioid epidemic is a top priority for the city, and it’s a battle we intend to win,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “From responding to overdoses, public education about addiction and recovery, From prevention to treatment to recovery, the City and our community partners are going all-in to fight this epidemic.”

Overdose Recognition and Response Training

The Worcester Police Department will offer free training for the public on how to recognize and intervene during an opioid overdose using nasal Narcan.

This training event will take place at 5:30 p.m. August 23 at the Worcester Public Library.

Worcester DPH encourages health care providers, substance abuse treatment service providers, first responders, and the public to exercise increased vigilance in promptly identifying suspected overdose victims and taking appropriate action.

The Good Samaritan Law provides protection to people who respond to an overdose and call 911.

The law is intended to encourage people to report drug overdoses as soon as possible, even if drugs are present at the scene.

AIDS Project Worcester’s Overdose Prevention and Narcan distribution program provides free Narcan to those who are likely to witness an overdose.

Learn to Cope, which has a chapter in Worcester, also provides free Narcan to family members of those with a substance use disorder.
Narcan is also available for purchase at CVS and Walgreen’s Pharmacies in the City of Worcester.

Overdose Awareness Day with a Candlelight Vigil:

The Worcester Department of Health and Human Services, along with our community partners will honor International Overdose Awareness Day, with a candlelight vigil and an addiction and recovery awareness campaign at 5:30 p.m. August 31 at the Worcester Common.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose. There will be an opportunity for people to receive information and referral to services for addiction and recovery.

The event will provide an opportunity for the public to express sorrow while also raising awareness on the actions needed to provide more services for recovery and improve understanding of the opioid abuse epidemic.

Participation is free.

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Get yourself outdoors – to one of the many beautiful Worcester parks/green spaces…

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Every 3 1/2 hours, someone dies in a house fire.

With the goal of reducing home-fire related fatalities by 25%, the American Red Cross is installing free smoke alarms in residential homes across the nation.

In Massachusetts, the Red Cross will install up to 2 photo-electric and one dual (photoelectric and ionization) smoke alarms, as well as one carbon monoxide detector.

If you are a Massachusetts resident and would like to request a free smoke alarm installation, please call 1-800-746-3511**

* Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands are experiencing a significant backlog

**please self-identify as a military attached household if applicable (military, military family member, National Guard, veteran)

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The Worcester Public Library Presents
The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program with Rick Morin

Thursday, August 18

2 p.m.

The Worcester Public Library will be hosting the Rick Morin and The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program on Thursday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m. as part of the Summer Reading Program 2016.

The interactive drumming program will be held in the Children’s Room at the Worcester Public Library, and is free and recommended for children ages 5-12.

Go, lil’ drummer girl, go!!!

About The Rhythm Room:
The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program by Rick Morin explores world music as it relates to today’s pop culture, combining discussion, demonstration and participation. The use of world percussion, drum set, buckets and exploring percussion from objects and one’s own body (clapping, stomping, etc.) is educational as well as motivational and fun. Rick will explain the execution of hand motion to bring out the proper voice of each drum and demonstrate how a percussionist can tell a story with rhythm and theatrical flair.

About Rick Morin:
Rick Morin is the creator and director of the The Rhythm Room, an all-original ten member band. He also developed The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program. Morin is a freelance drummer/percussionist. In 2006 he was awarded the Kathleen McKiel Memorial Award from the North Attleboro Cultural Council for his contributions to the Arts. Morin is an endorsed percussionist by LP, Sabian, REMO, and Vic Firth.

The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program is part of the Summer Reading Program at the Worcester Public Library. The theme for the 2016 program is “Wellness, Fitness, and Sports” – with loads of free programs being offered through August 20 at the Main Library and all branches.

Participants are eligible for prizes for reading and participating in programs. All ages are invited to sign up for summer reading at mywpl.org or at any library location until August 20.

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And don’t forget! Rolling into your neighborhood TODAY! THE REC MOBILE FARMERS MARKET – AKA THE PRETTY BLUE VAN CAN! See schedule, below…

Animal Issues

John parked in AI: ADDICTION – NOT A CHOICE

March 10, 2016 admin

Text and photos by John Bean

If you’ve glanced at a paper recently, turned on a radio, or channel surfed at all then you’re probably already aware that we’re in the heat of an opioid overdose epidemic. More specifically, opioid overdose-death epidemic. In Massachusetts alone we are losing at least four residents per day to this – that’s 56 people since the last issue of In City Times just two weeks ago. When you add to it the number of ODs that were able to be revived or simply lucked out, the numbers are even more staggering.

But this isn’t just about numbers this is about real people with real families, real jobs, careers, friends and futures – its about all of us. By definition, this is a Public Heath Crisis.

Public health and the general well-being of our community was always a priority for one Worcester resident, Tim Houston. Weather collecting and preparing food to give to those in need of it here in our city or by providing live background music in support of those doing like-minded works, he was always close to the front and often first to volunteer in addressing any public need, even while he was still just a young teen coming into his own. However, addiction knows no boundaries, isn’t concerned with social standing, or personalities, and no-one is immune. After a relatively brief period of experimentation, followed by a prolonged and difficult struggle with dependency, Tim succumbed to his disease last August. He was 23 years old.

Tim’s mother, Anne told me, “Around the time he was finishing up high school there was a proliferation of pain pills in every kids medicine cabinet they could dip into for fun”. She saw first hand that after his first use, “it was no longer a choice for him”. After a period of abstinence and staying away from the kids he was hanging with, a prescription for his wisdom teeth extraction brought him right back in. By then the availability of prescription drugs had dried up due to new, perhaps overdue prescribing regulations and the shutting down of the so called “pillmills” in Florida. And he, like so many others, found himself turning to the street where heroine is cheaper and readily available to anyone. Only on the street there is no way to know what you are getting from one dose to the next.

It’s well established within the medical community that addiction, (to drugs or alcohol, etc), is a disease, not a choice – at least not at first. The risk for one to become addicted increases with the number of immediate ancestors that are addicted. This is true weather you’ve witnessed their behavior or not. Its genetic. However, people without the genetic history are not necessarily off the hook. In fact anyone can become addicted simply by using or abusing any mood altering substance over a prolonged period of time. This is especially true with certain “feel-good” drugs, such as opiates.

Once addicted it takes a lot more than mere determination to get and stay clean. One major reason for this is how severely sick one can become during withdrawal. This ‘dope-sickness’ has been compared to, “your worst flu ever, times ten, and for twice as long, then you’re drained and left depressed.”

It hits you from both sides: intensely euphoric on one end and deathly sick on the other. It should not be surprising for us to see someone caught up in this seemingly never-ending cycle.
Even so, while so many die from heroine overdose, one cannot die from heroine withdrawal.

That’s not to say that the one going through it wouldn’t welcome death at that moment. Going it alone Cold-Turkey, is a traumatic enough experience that it must be considered thoughtfully as a crucial part of anyone’s recovery process.

Medically there are several options to assist in the physical withdrawal. Perhaps most commonly known is Methadone, a pharmaceutical opiate primarily used as a long-term maintenance tool for chronic addicts where the patient is required to follow fairly strict regulations, submit to random toxicology-screens, and show up to a clinic, usually daily, to receive their dose.

Suboxone, a semi-synthetic opiate relatively new to the US market, (2002), is used in a similar way but is said to have less undesirable effects than Methadone and be less subject to abuse. It is also being studied for its off-label potential as an anti-depressant – depression being a common underlying factor keeping many addicts from long term recovery, and for many the very thing that lead them to drugs in the first place.

Some have even become desperate enough to try a controversial drug therapy treatment said to provide a, “rapid detox without the side-effects”. In the early ’60s a long term heroine user, Howard Lotsof, realized, quite by accident, that several days after taking this halluginegen from West Africa that he was, “not dope-sick and hadn’t even thought of using since last week”. This Ibogaine has been studied on and off for its medicinal uses, most recently at the University of Florida. It is still illegal in the states and one must travel, at considerable expense, to Mexico, Canada, or any of several European countries to find this treatment in a controlled enviroment.

However, there is no magic pill for any of this. The whole person needs to be treated. Of Suboxone, Annie Parkinson, Central and Western Mass Coordinator for MOAR, (Massachusetts Organization for
Addiction Recovery), and former director of a local Suboxone program says, “It’s more than a pill – it’s a program.”

Throughout the community various support groups and programs can be found. From Narcotics Anonymous, made up of addicts in recovery passing on the message to others seeking sobriety to more formally run peer support groups such as Everyday Miracles, operated by Spectrum Health Systems, who additionally offers a variety of treatment options including detox facilities and outpatient clinics.
Everyday Miracles Peer Coordinator, Michael Earielo says, “We’re peer driven/staff run. We are unique in that we accept all pathways to recovery.”. All addictions and schools of thought are welcome to visit the center at 25 Pleasant St, dowtown Worcester.

In classic Worcester tradition the crisis is being met squarely from the bottom up, by diehard and dedicated individuals, non-profits, grassroots groups, and of course addicts who have found recovery.

And in tragic Worcester tradition, City Hall is rushing to catch up. The city has received a grant from the Substance Abuse Services of Mass Department of Public Health. I was unable todetermine from the Board of Health web site how the grant is being used.

Fashion

In fashion: President Obama … and the ALA

February 7, 2016 admin

Congressman Jim McGovern Applauds $1.1 Billion in President Obama’s Budget to Address the Opioid Epidemic

McGovern Welcomes Proposal to Ensure All Who Seek Treatment Can Get Help They Need

Congressman Jim McGovern applauded this week’s announcement that President Obama’s FY 2017 Budget includes $1.1 billion in funding to address the opioid epidemic that is impacting so many families in Massachusetts and across the country.

“Today’s announcement that President Obama’s budget will dedicate more than $1 billion to address the opioid epidemic is a critical step in this fight,” Congressman McGovern said. “In the past year, I have worked tirelessly to make sure the voices of Massachusetts families are heard in Washington, co-sponsoring three different bills and joining my House Colleagues to call on Administration officials to ensure all of our communities are receiving the federal funds needed to address this crisis.

“With the proposed funding announced today by President Obama, it is clear that our voices are being heard and Massachusetts can count on the White House to be a strong national partner in this fight,” McGovern added. “We must do all we can to ensure that treatment is available to those who seek it and by prioritizing treatment and prevention, this proposal takes the smart and comprehensive approach we need to help all of the families and communities touched by the opioid epidemic. This is a national priority and I look forward to working with both parties in Congress to securing the funding and resources we need to win this fight in Massachusetts.”

President Obama’s proposal includes $1 billion in new mandatory funding over two years to expand access to treatment for prescription drug abuse and heroin use.

This funding will boost efforts to help individuals with an opioid use disorder seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery.

This funding includes:

· $920 million to support cooperative agreements with States to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. States will receive funds based on the severity of the epidemic and on the strength of their strategy to respond to it. States can use these funds to expand treatment capacity and make services more affordable.

· $50 million in National Health Service Corps funding to expand access to substance use treatment providers. This funding will help support approximately 700 providers able to provide substance use disorder treatment services, including medication-assisted treatment, in areas across the country most in need of behavioral health providers.

· $30 million to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs employing medication-assisted treatment under real-world conditions and help identify opportunities to improve treatment for patients with opioid use disorders.

This investment, combined with other efforts underway to reduce barriers to treatment for substance use disorders, will help ensure that every American who wants treatment can access it and get the help they need.

Second, the President’s Budget includes approximately $500 million — an increase of more than $90 million — to continue and build on current efforts across the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand state-level prescription drug overdose prevention strategies, increase the availability of medication-assisted treatment programs, improve access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, and support targeted enforcement activities. A portion of this funding is directed specifically to rural areas, where rates of overdose and opioid use are particularly high.

To help further expand access to treatment, the Budget includes an HHS pilot project for nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment, where allowed by state law.

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American Lung Association’s ‘State of Tobacco Control 2016’ Gives Massachusetts Mixed Grades for Efforts to Save Lives by Reducing Tobacco Use

The American Lung Association released this week its 14th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report that finds that in 2015 Massachusetts made progress on tobacco control policies that will save lives.

The report also finds that most states and the federal government earned poor grades, and the high level of youth use of tobacco products other than cigarettes threatens to undermine the United States’ overall progress in the fight against tobacco-caused death and disease.

“While we celebrate successful tobacco control policies in Massachusetts like its efforts to regulate e-cigarette use by restricting sales to those 18 years and older, we still must face the reality that young people are using tobacco products like e-cigarettes and little cigars at an all-time high,” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “Nearly a quarter of high school students nationwide are using tobacco products, and it is essential that Massachusetts continue to take aggressive action to reduce all tobacco use – the #1 cause of preventable death and disease in our nation.”

The “State of Tobacco Control” report documents the progress and failure of the states and the federal government to address tobacco use. The report assigns grades based on whether federal and state laws protect Americans from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives and the economy.

“State of Tobacco Control 2016” finds Massachusetts mixed grades show that progress is possible, although even more needs to be done by our Governor and State Legislature to pass proven policies that will reduce tobacco use and save lives:

Tobacco Prevention and Control Program Funding Grade – F

Tobacco Taxes – Grade A

Smokefree Air – Grade A

Access to Cessation Services – Grade D

The American Lung Association of the Northeast calls on Massachusetts to act on increasing funding for the state’s tobacco control program to $9 million per year, include e-cigarettes and all other tobacco derived products as part of the state’s definition of tobacco and increase access to tobacco cessation treatments and services.

As of January 31, 2016, the Obama Administration had not yet given the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight authority over all tobacco products including cigars, e-cigarettes, little cigars and hookah (commonly referred to as the deeming rule). The grade of “I” for Incomplete for FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products is assigned because the final rule is expected at any time. Other federal grades include a “C” for Federal Cessation Coverage, an “F” for Tobacco Taxes and a “B” for its Mass Media Campaigns, a new grading area in this year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report.

“It’s not a secret how we can reduce tobacco use in this country. ‘State of Tobacco Control 2016’ looks at proven methods to save lives and prevent our children from becoming the next generation hooked on tobacco,” said Casey Harvell, Director of Public Policy for Massachusetts. “We must demand that our elected officials in Massachusetts urgently act to implement these proven policies to save lives.”