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In fact, according to the Department of Public Health (DPH), opioid-related overdose deaths were slightly higher for the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. From January to Sep- tember of this year, there were 1,517 overdose deaths, 33 more than the same time period last year. DPH suggests the increase coincides “with the extraordi- nary public-health challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Because of the disturbing overdose trend, DPH distributed more than 75,000 naloxone kits
associated with opioid abuse, involved face-to-face engage- ment with clients.
“We were easily accessible, and people were comfortable coming to us,” Aviles-Hernan- dez said. “Then, all of a sudden, we had to transition everything and everybody to virtual ser- vices.”
While Gándara and other healthcare organizations have shifted many of their services to telehealth, these virtual offer- ings have built-in limitations. Like Quaglia, Aviles-Hernandez noted that some clients don’t own a smartphone or comput-
“We’ve altered all our procedures and protocols to respond to the larger safety need of preventing COVID. As a result, we have never been able to return to the level of normalcy we had
before.”
from March through September to healthcare and law-enforce- ment professionals across the state. A key component of the kit is Narcan, an easy-to-use na- sal spray of naloxone that can revive someone suffering from an overdose. Narcan works quickly and can make a huge difference because a person who has overdosed on opioids may have only minutes before brain damage or death. Quaglia credits the state for its efforts to reduce overdose deaths.
“We now have enough kits
to supply our groups, as well
as secondary partners who are close to those vulnerable to overdosing,” he said, adding that groups like Hope for Holy- oke and police departments in several communities have made sure the overdose kits are reach- ing those who need them most.
For people trying to overcome opioid addiction, COVID-19 makes a tough situation worse. Madeline Aviles-Hernandez, vice president of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for Gándara Center, noted that, before coronavirus, the model to treat people with substance- use disorders, such as those
MADELINE AVILES-HERNANDEZ
er. Among those who do own such devices, some have trouble with internet connections or navigating virtual services.
In other words, the opioid problem in Massachusetts, while the addiction and death numbers have improved over the past few years, is far from
a thing of the past, and the pandemic may only be making matters worse.
Barriers to Access
When the coronavirus first hit, Gándara staff put safety measures in place by control- ling the number of people who entered its facilities. The hours of operation also changed, with facilities closing in the middle of the day to accommodate a deep cleaning. Aviles-Hernan- dez admits that, while these moves were necessary, they have had a significant impact on access to care and services.
“We’ve altered all our proce- dures and protocols to respond to the larger safety need of pre- venting COVID,” she told HCN. “As a result, we have never
Please see Opioids , page 34
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