Opioid Crisis 'Resource Night' In Waltham Thursday

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham Police get the calls more often than they'd like. Last month alone they had 18 overdose-related calls, according to their daily logs. But many more get categorized as wellness checks or health-related calls.

Waltham is not alone here, Attorney General Maura Healey said some 60,000 people were given doses of the opioid reversal drug Narcan last year across the state, at a speech in neighboring Newton.

Whatever the reason, the Waltham Health Department with the help of the Waltham police, is sponsoring an event are working on ways to address the growing opioid crisis that has not left Waltham untouched.

Thursday, Nov. 9, local health officials are hosting a resource Night, and are asking anyone who has had a friend or family member struggle with substance abuse come to 119 School Street to hear what substance abuse representatives from local treatment providers and support agencies can do to assist, at least 13 groups will be on hand to help, including the Boston Bulldogs Running club, which was started by a former addict.

That is part of the Metro-Boston Project Outreach program. Waltham’s Social Worker and Addiction Councilor Meaghan Ritcey was hired one year ago to try to make a difference in opioid deaths and addiction that Waltham sees too regularly, said Waltham Director of Public Health John Zuppe.

Ritcey, along Assistant Director Michelle Feeley and Police Sgt. J.P Brooks reached out to surrounding communities to create a collaborative now that collaborative is working to get resources to people who suffer from addiction and their family and friends.

The program is a collaboration of support agencies and Police Departments of Belmont, Lexington, Newton, Waltham, Watertown and Weston. It's a program modeled after neighboring county’s Project Outreach.

The Plymouth County Project Outreach was started by Plymouth Police in December 2015 in partnership with area health professionals and treatment clinicians.

The goal? Amid the opioid use in the region offer help for men and women who survive overdoses through follow up visits and treatment. It also aimed to help those who weren't addicted but were affected by those who were, such as family members. It was so successful by the following year they were working to expand its reach to neighboring communities, according to its website

The original project began as a response to what first responders were labeling a crisis long before it came on the national radar.

In 2000, the rate of opioid-related fatal overdose was 5.8 per 100,000 people in Massachusetts, according to Department of Public Health data. By 2015, there were 23.3 fatal overdoses for every 100,000 residents.

From 2013–2014, opioids accounted for more than a quarter of all fatalities in the 18–24 age group, according to the state website. For people aged 25 to 34, opioids were responsible for more than a third of all deaths. And it rose to more than 40 percent for men in this group. In 2015, roughly two out of every three people who died from opioids were younger than 45, according to the state.

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[EDITORS NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify that the Boston-Area Project Outreach is the brain child of the City's health department. ]