DA Convenes First Meeting of Opioid Task Force

The opioid crisis is attacking communities everywhere, and in Eastern Middlesex, they’ve created a task force to combat the issue.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan and State Senator Jason Lewis, D- Winchester, in partnership with Hallmark Health System, held the first meeting of the Eastern Middlesex Opioid Task Force on Thursday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, said an announcement.

The Opioid Task Force focuses on battling the increase in drug overdoses in the eastern region of Middlesex County. Twenty percent of the overdose deaths in Middlesex County in 2015 occurred in these communities, with 80 percent of those deaths caused by heroin.

“As District Attorney, I have seen first-hand the devastating impact of the opioid crisis,” said Ryan in a statement. “We have focused our efforts on taking a multi-pronged approach - one that encompasses education, prevention, intervention, treatment and the prosecution of individuals who profit from those in the throes of addiction. By launching the Eastern Middlesex Opioid Task Force, we are continuing our work of building stronger communities through promoting cross-sector, interdisciplinary solutions to address critical matters of public health and public safety.”

As District Attorney, Marian Ryan has worked to combat the opioid epidemic by:

• Establishing the Lowell Opioid Task Force with State Senator Eileen Donoghue in 2012;
• Advocating for the opening of a Drug Court in Lowell;
• Hosting training seminars for police, firefighters, and EMTs on how to administer Narcan;
• Providing cities and towns with approximately 600 doses of Narcan, funded entirely through drug forfeiture revenue collected by the DA’s Office;
• Hosting training for doctors, dentists and other healthcare providers on how to identify drug seeking indicators and how to better access and manage pain;
• Filing legislation that would limit opiate prescriptions from an Emergency Department or walk-in clinic to a 72 hour supply;
• Filing legislation to regulate a new synthetic chemical drug, NBOIMe – often referred to as “N-bomb.” N-bomb is illegal under federal drug laws but not yet classified as a controlled substance in Massachusetts;
• Filing legislation that creates a charging option for individuals whose drug distribution activities cause the death of another person, and,
• Providing cities and towns with drug collection boxes for the public to safely dispose of unused or expired medicines;

“The Opioid Task Force promises to do the critically important work of bringing together a broad network of stakeholders from across our communities to thoughtfully and comprehensively address challenges we face in tackling addiction and abuse,” said Senator Lewis in the announcement. “I commend District Attorney Ryan for her leadership in this effort, and I thank the many participants, representing a wide array of backgrounds, for their commitment and insight.”

Members of the of the Eastern Middlesex Opioid Task Force include first responders, police and fire officials, municipal health workers, doctors, nurses, social workers, substance abuse counselors, community-based advocates and probation officers.