Page 19 - BusinessWest November 14, 2022

Crisis State
Opioid Addiction Remains a Persistent Problem in Massachusetts
By Joseph Bednar
Christine Palmieri has read the numbers regarding a spike in overdose deaths in Massachusetts over the past couple years. But to her, they’re not just numbers.
“My role is to oversee our community-based pro-
grams that work with people who have experienced mental-health issues, substance-use disorders, and homelessness. As part of that, we run residential recovery programs for people who have a dual diag- nosis, and we also run a number of different housing programs for people in recovery,” said Palmieri, vice president of Recovery and Housing at the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) in Springfield. “And over the past year, maybe two years, we as a program have experienced more deaths by overdose than at any other time in my career.
“That’s troubling. There’s definitely times when it feels very hopeless and very frustrating, but I think our programs have done an excellent job of showing up every day, meeting people where they’re at,” she went on. “One of our programs is called GRIT, and that’s how I would describe what we need to keep coming back every day, and what the people we’re supporting in recovery need to keep coming back every day.”
After several years of decline, the rate of opioid- related overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased by 8.8% in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a
June report by the Mas- sachusetts Department
of Public Health. Drug- overdose deaths in Massa- chusetts continue to trend lower than nationwide fig- ures, but the statistics are still startling, with the rise in death rates reflecting
the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increas- ingly poisoned drug supply, primarily with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.
“Massachusetts and the
rest of the country have
definitely seen a rise in
overdose rates during the
pandemic,” said Dr. Katie
Krauskopf, medical direc-
tor of Substance Use Dis-
order Services at MiraVista
Cristina Rivera and Dr. Katie Krauskopf say recovery is often a winding process Behavioral Health Center
marked by frustrating times and bumps in the road.
in Holyoke. “It looks like
Massachusetts’ trend is
ing care and the isolation that came along with it.” better than nationally, and there is some indication
In her experience, the pandemic impacted two that 2022 might be better than 2021. But we clearly
groups differently: many of those with substance-use saw people struggling during the pandemic, and a
disorder who were already in treatment programs
lot of that probably had to do with difficulty access-
Staff Photo
Michael Lynch
Michael Lynch
Barbara-Jean Deloria
Barrbara-Jean DelLorriia
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
James Michael Montemayor Davey
Henry "Hank" Downey
Henry "Hank" Downey
Joe Doug Kulig Gilbert
Joe Doug Kulig Gilbert
To us,
To us,
James Michael Montemayor Davey
Experience counts.
business is personal.
Experience counts.
business is personal.
So does your input.
So does your input.
florencebank.com/business-banking florencebank.com/business-banking
Member FDIC / Member DIF Member FDIC / Member DIF
BusinessWest
HEALTHCARE
MONTH 00, 2022 19