So Far, Opioid Overdoses In Norwood Trending Down

NORWOOD, MA — The latest statistics for opioid overdoses in Norwood was a mixed bag.

Last Friday, Norwood Police responded to a fatal overdose at the Stonebridge Apartments. It was the fifth fatal overdose in town, Police Chief William Brooks told the selectmen Tuesday, matching last year’s overdose total.

While fatal deaths have matched last year’s total, the number of non-fatal overdoses continues to trend behind last year’s pace.

We are behind the pace where we were last time last year,” Brooks said.

The chief told the board that Fentanyl use is up and there is more use of synthetic opioids.

“It use to be that they thought they were buying heroin, now they know they’re buying Fentanyl which is something I don’t grasp,” Brooks said.

The decrease in overdoses is consistent with statewide trends. In last month’s quarterly report released by the state Department of Public Health, For the first six months of 2017, there were 610 confirmed cases of all intents opioid-related overdose deaths and an estimated additional 330 to 406 deaths. The total is down from the same period last year.

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