Annapolis musician’s death a reminder that opioid overdoses are rising again
The death of Sean Hetrick, an Annapolis musician whowas a frequent performer in many of the city’s entertainment venues, is a sign thatwe have another crisis upon us.
With less than a month left in the year, Anne Arundel County has seen a 12% increase in opioid-related overdoses compared to the same period last year. There are 741 total reported overdoses this year. Of those, 129 people have died.
Hetrick joined that tragic list last week when he died of an overdose.
It’s not clear what is driving the spike in overdoses and death.
Isolation and loss of employment can be particularly devastating for people in recovery or struggling with addiction and mentalhealth issues. The pandemic caused many group recovery meetings to cancel or move online this spring. And uncertainty is prevalent during a time when jobs evaporated and personal health is at risk.
Hetrick was a familiar figure in the recovery community.
He met his wife, Ally Hughes, while in recovery for opioid and alcohol addiction in 2013. After receiving treatment at Samaritan House in Annapolis, Hetrick continued to be an active member of the recovery community, mentoring men at Samaritan House and performing at open houses for the rehab center.
He relapsed earlier this year and was readmitted to the rehab center, but celebrated six months sober in November.
The financial future of long-term treatment during the coronavirus pandemic remains a problem, although it is unclear whether greater funding could have saved Hetrick or any of the men and women who have died because of opioids this year.
Cut off from Medicaid reimbursements and federal and state funding, several residential treatment centers are straining under large deficits caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Maryland health officials denied a request for financial help from the leaders of Gaudenzia drug treatment centers, which has locations in Crownsville and Baltimore.
The rising numbers of overdoses are likely to continue as the number of coronavirus cases spikes, and probably won’t come back down until a vaccine is widely available sometime next year.
Maryland should be taking steps to make sure emergency help programs like the one run by the Pascal Center in Anne Arundel County can provide all the help that is needed.
It should also take steps to prop up the long term treatment programs so they can survive the disruption caused by the pandemic. With CARES money depleted at the state level, that can only happen if Washington comes through with another relief package.
Hetrick was known as a dedicated musician. He and the band he put together with friends, The Leftovers, were part of a family.
But he left behind a wife and two children, too.
It’s important to remember that the numbers showing a rise in opioid overdoses and deaths represent lives shattered, futures denied and stories ended.
It’s important for state and county leaders not to let the crisis of coronavirus deaths obscure the need for action on the crisis of opioid addiction deaths.