Showing the way in battle against opioids in Eddystone
Want to see the true devastation and horror behind the heroin and opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities?
You should have been in Eddystone Saturday.
That’s where more than 10,000 people – many of whom have seen their families rocked by this new drug epidemic – came together for the fourth annual Overdose Awareness Day and Memorial Walk, with the goal of raising awareness of the problem and remembering those we have lost.
The annual event is sponsored by the Bridge To Recovery. All proceeds raised during the event are used to financially assist those starting or continuing their recovery journey via scholarships.
Too often, the story connected to heroin and opioid abuse is illustrated with a discarded syringe or spoon used to do these deadly drugs.
This newspaper has often done that on the front page. The shock value of such images is no longer needed.
What’s needed now, and what was on display Saturday, is a focus on the clear human toll this problem is taking on so many in our communities.
It is a story about people, faces, many of which were emblazoned on T-shirts and posters by those taking part in the march.
The numbers are staggering. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 262 people died from drug overdoses in Delaware County in 2016. And it’s getting worse. The feds noted a huge spike in 2017, with the number of fatalities more than doubling to 492.
And the toll would be even more staggering were it not for widespread use in the county of the miracle drug Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an overdose and literally bring a victim back from death’s door.
Thanks to David’s Law, named for overdose victim David Massi and pushed by his Delaware County family, all police and first responders in Delaware County now are armed with this life-saving drug.
Since the law went into effect in November 2014, Delaware County police officers have saved more than 1,000 lives, the most of any county in the Commonwealth. Across the state there have been more than 7,000 reversals via use of the drug.
Samantha Prince, 30, of Aston, wanted to be in Eddystone Saturday to show her support for those who do battle with this issue every day.
“I went because (the walk) isn’t just for awareness but for support and to get people more comfortable with asking for help,” she said.
The walk raised $54,243, and a donation page, accessible at https://www.runtheday.com/register/detail/2018-overdoseawareness-day-and-memorialwalk, remain open until next weekend.
The money raised goes to The Bridge for Recovery Foundation, which provides scholarships for people entering recovery houses from a treatment facility to ease the financial burden.
The mood Saturday was quiet, but steadfast, peppered with talk of those who have lost someone to addiction.
The walk was started by Christine Cocker-Hastings in memory of her brother Chuck Cocker, who lost his battle with addiction while waiting to get into a recovery house.
That crucial aspect of the battle against addiction, the lack of enough affordable rehab and treatment facilities, is something police officers across Delaware County often point to in venting their frustrations in battling this problem.
Privately, some have pointed out that some victims revived with Naloxone often revert right back to the problem that had them on death’s door in the first place, sometimes within hours of being revived.
That lack of adequate access to rehab and treatment being available to overdose victims was the target of much-needed legislation proposed last week by state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163 of Upper Darby, and several other Republican legislators.
House Bill 2147, which also has the backing of state Reps. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, and Stephen Barrar, R-160 of Upper Chichester, would mandate that a person be able to obtain a referral for treatment immediately after receiving medical attention for an overdose in order to be immune from drug charges.
The bill would alter legal protections for overdose victims as guaranteed in Act 139 of 2014, also known as David’s Law and the Good Samaritan law, which expanded administration of the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan or naloxone to police officers and firefighters under the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act. Overdose victims and/or the person who called for emergency response to an overdose are protected from legal sanctions, but no mention of recovery or treatment was included in that bill.
Santora said Narcan has been successful in reviving people who were experiencing overdoses, but the law hasn’t gotten people into recovery.
“This is a step to try to get them into recovery, to see a certified recovery specialist,” said Santora at a press conference at the county courthouse. “It’s not about arresting people. It’s not about putting them in jail. That is not the intent of this legislation whatsoever.”
It’s commonsense legislation that is long overdue.
Saving people from the horrors of a heroin or opioid overdose is no longer enough.
Just ask the 10,000 people who gathered in Eddystone Saturday.