'We Refuse to Lose:’ Remembering Overdose Victims

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Scourge. Epidemic. National emergency. All of these words have been used to describe the grip that opioid and heroin addiction has on Anne Arundel County.

To commemorate the lives lost in drug overdoses, county leaders and Recovery Anne Arundel ROSC (Recovery Oriented Systems of Care) have planned a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Arundel Christian Church in Glen Burnie. It is believed to be the first such ceremony in Maryland.

Besides remembering family and friends who lost the battle with addiction, the organizers decided that to make the event different, they also wanted to thank the county’s first responders, who often intervene in overdoses and work to help users find treatment, said organizer Carol Boyer, community relations director for Maryland House Detox.

If nothing else, addicts and their families should know from the event that there is hope, that police and health-care workers are there to help when they are ready, said Lt. Ryan Frashure, public information officer for the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

“For families they have to know that they have our support. A strong community prevails in a time of need and this is undoubtedly a time of need,” Frashure said. “We are here to show our support to the families and let them know that we care. The families that are here for the event are true examples of the strength we need to fight this epidemic.”

If You Go

• What: Candlelight vigil to raise awareness about opioid and heroin addiction in Anne Arundel County
• When: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Arundel Christian Church, 710 Aquahart Road in Glen Burnie
• Who: Recovery Anne Arundel ROSC (Recovery Oriented Systems of Care), Anne Arundel County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, Anne Arundel County Department of Health, Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, Anne Arundel County Executive Steven R. Schuh, numerous state and county government officials
• More Details: All are welcome to attend and are encouraged to wear white shirts.

SEE ALSO:

Heroin Crisis: Desperate Families Wonder If Anyone Cares

Heroin Epidemic Escalates Across Maryland

In 2015, the state saw a 21 percent increase in the number of deaths from drug and alcohol intoxication, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. A total of 1,259 overdose deaths occurred in Maryland last year.

And the state is on pace to equal or surpass that tragic number in 2016. The most recent tally from the health department shows that from January to March this year, Maryland saw 383 deaths related to overdose.

With summer almost over, there is no sign that overdoses have gone down.

“I can tell you that we will not quit on those that need help,” Frashure said. “With the support of the County Executive, we will continue to do whatever it takes to fight the good fight. We refuse to lose! We have changed our response/protocols to overdose calls and have worked with crisis intervention to get people the help they need.”

International Overdose Awareness Day began 16 years ago and is now organized globally by the Penington Institute, an Australian non-profit health organization. John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute, says that overdose is a growing problem worldwide; the United Nations calculates that 100,000 people die from overdose each year.

The actual number of deaths is likely to be far higher than 100,000. The stigma associated with overdose means that many such deaths are not counted as overdoses, plus many countries under-report their overdose statistics, Ryan says.

Four steps that anyone can be familiar with to make them a potential lifesaver:

1. Know what an overdose looks like. For example, with substance use, especially substances that slow down the systems of the body (e.g. benzodiazepines, opioids, GHB), snoring may indicate a serious and potentially life-threatening obstruction of the airway. Don’t ignore this snoring.

2. Administer naloxone – the opioid overdose reversal medication – if you have it and the person has overdosed on an opioid. If you are likely to be an opioid overdose witness, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or local needle and syringe program about getting trained on naloxone.

3. Seek emergency assistance.

4. Commence first aid and CPR if required.

Despite warnings that one dose of the illicit opioid can be not only instantly addictive but sometimes fatal — either in the short term or the long run — heroin usage has increased in the state in recent years.

“If there was a word bigger than epidemic that would be it. It is an epidemic,” Frashure previously said.

More recently, police and emergency responders have seen fentanyl mixed with heroin, which has accelerated the number of overdoses. The drug given by hospitals to surgery patients is much stronger, and users are taking the same dosage, which their bodies can’t handle.

State Needs More Treatment Facilities

Maryland needs residential treatment beds, say Carin Callan Miller, president and co-founder of Maryland Heroin Awareness Advocates, and group member Melissa Eppinger of Edgewater. Addicts are dying while waiting for in-patient treatment spots to open up, Eppinger said, and her own son is in North Carolina at a residential program.

Once patients have completed treatment, aftercare is imperative, Miller says, as addicts learn to cope without the drug.

“It’s two steps forward, 10 steps back half the time, it’s so frustrating,” Miller says. “Just as if these kids had cancer, the first five years is considered early recovery. After that, you’re in remission. It should be the same for addiction.”

Eppinger has spoken to police and crisis intervention team training sessions in Anne Arundel County. Every Anne Arundel County police officer is trained to use Narcan; it was one of first departments in the state to carry the drug, which can reverse the life-threatening effects of an overdose.

Her message, as a mom, to emergency responders, is simple: “The next time you go on a call, remember that’s someone’s child out there.”

And in some counties, overdose victims are left to fend for themselves instead of being connected with hospitals and treatment programs. For some addicts, such as Eppinger’s son, there are underlying mental health issues – ADHD, bipolar or depression – that the user is self-medicating to cope with.

More skilled health-care workers and accredited treatment facilities, along with properly staffed halfway houses, are needed across Maryland to help continue the care, both women said.

Where to Get Help in Maryland

Maryland residents who need help finding substance abuse treatment resources should visit the Department of Health website for links to substance abuse treatment facilities. Or call the Maryland Crisis Hotline, which provides 24/7 support, at 1-800-422-0009.

If you know of someone who could use treatment for substance abuse, treatment facilities can be located by location and program characteristics online.

»Heroin photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration