Overdose Awareness Thurs. on Common; Blue Cross to Cover Narcan + More

Above, flag displays reflecting the 2,357 Massachusetts community members who lost their life to addiction in 2022 have been created on the Franklin (pictured), Wrentham, and Millis town commons. Thursday evening at 6 pm there will be a 30-minute event on the Common, a moment of silence, prayer, and a community member speaking about their lived experience. The events are organized by SAFE Coalition with HealthyKP.

Events

Thursday morning, Governor Maura T. Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll will attend the Department of Public Health’s International Overdose Awareness Day event, during which more than 22,000 purple flags will be planted on Boston Common to represent the Massachusetts residents who died from overdoses since 2011.

Locally, International Overdose Awareness Day is being marked by SAFE Coalition in partnership with HealthyKP to host a moving memorial in 5 communities. “The purpose of this vigil is to bring local and real visibility to the sensitive and often overlooked disease of addiction. This 30-minute event will host a moment of silence, prayer, and a community member speaking about their lived experience. We will also host a memorial table to place pictures and memories of those we have lost to an overdose. Together, we will say their names.”

Event Times:

Wrentham Town Common, 1 pm

Norfolk Town Common 2 pm

Millis Town Hall 3 pm

Medway Thayer Estate 4 pm

Franklin Town Common 6 pm

The Numbers (Courtesy of SAFE)

Flag displays reflecting the 2,357 Massachusetts community members who lost their life to addiction in 2022 will be created on the Wrentham, Franklin, and Millis town commons.

The numbers continue to rise

- In 2022, Massachusetts saw a 2.5% increase in overdose fatalities between 2021 and 2022 and a 9.1% increase from pre-pandemic 2016.

- Fentanyl was present in 93% of fatal overdoses where a toxicology report was present

- Cocaine was present in 53% of fatal overdoses where a toxicology report was present

- 47% of all opioid-related overdose deaths were between 25 and 44 years old; 43% were between 45 and 64 years old

RELATED NEWS 1: Blue Cross to Cover Narcan Costs

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced Tuesday that it will cover the overdose reversal medication Narcan. The insurer said its coverage of Narcan for over-the-counter, non-prescription use will involve no cost share to members in Massachusetts. "Naloxone has become the standard treatment for opioid overdose and making it available more widely is a key strategy in controlling the overdose crisis," said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts chief medical officer Dr. Sandhya Rao. "Waiving out-of-pocket costs for this emergency medication aligns with our commitment to ensuring our members have access to the substance use disorder treatment they need, when they need it – especially critical as opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts continue to rise."

RELATED NEWS 2: Federal Reserve Studies Best Addiction Treatments for Workforce

In a recent Fed podcast, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Senior Economist Mary Burke discusses different medications for opioid use disorder and how they affect a person’s employment status.

Some Key Comments: “There is evidence from some other studies that people who are being treated with medications for opioid use disorder have higher productivity on the job than people who have an untreated opioid use disorder and who are employed. So, if you're not suffering the same productivity problems, you're more likely to be able to keep your job, because your performance is not going down. And as I said, we see this negative association between having an active opioid use disorder and the chance of separating from a job. It does look as if treatment moderates that separation risk. It does seem that it improves your social functioning and maintains your productivity if you are staying on the medication, which is not always a guarantee.”