Opioid ODs up, deaths down in latest statistics

New Hampshire Union Leader

March 26--Opioid ODs up, deaths down in latest statistics

By PAUL FEELY

New Hampshire Union Leader

March 25. 2018 9:48PM

President Donald Trump greets firefighters during a tour of Manchester's Safe Station at Central Fire Station last Monday. At right is Fire Chief Dan Goonan. (DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER)

MANCHESTER -- A week after President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence praised the Safe Station program during visits to Manchester, the latest data released by first responders show overdoses in the Queen City up 23 percent over this time last year.

Suspected overdose deaths are down 27 percent, according to statistics released by Chris Stawasz, regional director for American Medical Response.

In Nashua -- which operates its own version of Safe Station -- overdoses are up 28 percent, but overdose deaths are down 38 percent compared to this time last year.

During a visit to Manchester last Monday, Trump told the city's first responders they are saving lives -- and "the whole country is talking about it." The President made the comment during a brief stop at Manchester Central Station, where the first Safe Station program debuted in 2016.

The White House Opioid Summit earlier this month included a video featuring Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan discussing Safe Station, which transformed the Queen City's 10 fire stations into intake centers where addicts head for help without fear of being arrested.

During a visit to Manchester last Thursday, Vice President Pence recognized first responders Goonan, Stawasz, and Chris Hickey, emergency medical services officer and paramedic for the Manchester Fire Department, for developing a local program that's become a national model.

"Two years later a program called Safe Station is providing relief to thousands of people. We're all so proud of you," Pence said.

According to Chris Hickey, there were 36 reported opioid-related overdoses so far in March as of Friday, including four fatalities. That compares to 55 overdoses and five fatalities in February and 48 overdoses and three fatalities in January. In total, there have been 139 suspected opioid-related overdoses in Manchester so far this year, 12 of them fatal.

There have been 3,291 total visits to Safe Station since the program was launched in May 2016, with 2,220 of those representing unique or non-repeat visitors.

Of those 3,291 visitors to Safe Station, 754 were transported to city hospitals -- 375 to Catholic Medical Center, and 379 to Elliot Hospital.

The majority of overdoses thus far in 2018 -- 28 -- have occurred in hotels, public buildings or venues. Five overdose victims were found in parked vehicles, while another five overdosed while driving vehicles. The youngest suspected overdose fatality so far this year was 26, while the oldest was 59.

According to Hickey, 113 patients have been treated with Narcan so far this year through the Safe Station program.

Between the two Safe Station programs in Nashua and Manchester, nearly 5,000 people have sought help for addiction. Manchester's Safe Station program began on May 4, 2016, while Nashua'a version launched Nov. 17, 2016.

pfeely@unionleader.com

The statistics can be viewed below:

Public Safety Health Heroin

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