SHOCKING STATS: BPD notes substantial increase in ODs within first 3 months of 2014… particularly with HEROIN…
Top photo: One of the recent young lives tragically claimed by the ongoing epidemic…
Hyannis – In 2014, Hyannis News has observed an anecdotal increase in the number of overdoses within the Town of Barnstable.
In the last two months alone, Hyannis News has responded to two fatal heroin overdoses and several where the subjects were revived using the drug Narcan…
Concerned about the what has recently been deemed a local ‘heroin epidemic,’ the question of hard statistics seemed to be the logical way to accurately illustrate this current crisis…
Searching for statistical answers, Hyannis News was referred to Officer Eric Drifmeyer of the Barnstable Police Department. Within a relatively short time Drifmeyer provided a comprehensive statistical report for January, February, and March of 2014…
… the results sadly confirm the anecdotal Hyannis News hypothesis that here has been a drastic increase in life threatening overdoses related to illicit drug usage, particularly with heroin.
According to the Drifmeyer report:
“In the first 3 months of 2014 the Barnstable Police Department responded to 37 calls for service relating to drug overdoses. Twenty of these calls were determined to be heroin overdoses, 7 were prescription medication overdoses, 1 was an unrelated medical condition and 9 were unknown or not specified in the data. This total reflects a substantial increase in overdose calls during the same time period over the past 5 years.”
The Drifmeyer report shows the number of heroin overdoses to be evenly split between males and females, with one female overdosing twice withing the last 3 months….
The stark realities surrounding the Drifmeyer report are best worded by its author:
“The vast majority of the cases involved patients in their mid-twenties and all of them were white. Out of the 20 heroin cases, Nalaxone (NARCAN) was utilized 13 times and was administered by either EMS personnel or a family member. In all 13 cases the patient was revived and transported to a hospital for further evaluation. Three of the 20 cases did not specify any on scene treatment methods and therefore the use of NARCAN is unknown. In the remaining 4 cases, the patients were either deceased upon EMS arrival or in 1 case the patient was transported to the hospital and died later.
Most overdose patients were found at home (65%) by friends or family while 10% were brought to a government or public building, 5% were at a commercial building, 5% at a hotel, 5% at a restaurant and 10% were not specified. All cases that had a fatal outcome took place in residential homes. The total number of deceased patients was also split evenly between male and female with 2 each.
Making an accurate assessment of overdoses can be problematic for the police. In many cases the cause of the overdose is not readily apparent and often times diagnosis and treatment is determined in a medical facility long after police involvement. Efforts to improve data collection are ongoing but the gap between police and health services remains an obstacle.”
Editor’s notes:
Hyannis News would like to thank and recognize Officer Drifmeyer and the Barnstable Police for their efforts in producing the above statistics and tables…
It is also important to note that based on many factors, the actual number of overdoses is likely much higher… Variables such as the inability to factor in medical statistics from other health agencies and the fact many overdoses are not documented by police, etc…
It is incredibly important, however, to track these statistics surrounding the ongoing battle against our local heroin epidemic. Statistics can be seen as a ongoing report card on the Town of Barnstable’s progress in first recognizing the problem, and then attacking it…
Is it possible for police, firefighters, and emergency rooms to share data in such a way as to not violate health information privacy laws? While at the same time maintaining basic statistics on local overdoses? Hyannis News has and will continue to discuss this topic with local first responders…
Of note, over recent months Hyannis News has been contacted by a very small contingent of readers who make the argument that the heroin epidemic is a nationwide problem. To some extent I agree with these individuals in their observations… But as far as Hyannis and the Town of Barnstable goes, the fact that this problem exists in other parts of the country is irrelevant.
The most important statistic is that the epidemic does, indeed, exist here. To that extent it is clearly a Barnstable issue… one which we must take ownership of…
To some extent calling this a “national epidemic” can be seen as a cop-out on the community level.
Hyannis News strongly believes this complicated problem must be addressed at the community level in order to be successfully eradicated.
In recent months several government agencies have taking the initiative to address this issue. Those efforts need to continue… more so now than ever…
Hyannis News has observed an anecdotal increase in heroin related arrests by our Narcotic Detectives, SCU members, and patrol investigators… law enforcement is clearly stepping up and doing their job.
Now it’s time for other parts of our community to shine. The Barnstable Courts, for one example, are an ultimate part of this process. The community needs the court’s full cooperation and discretion in order to send a strong message that we will not let heroin dealers literally get away with murdering our young citizens for their own selfish gains…
There is so much that has already been done… yet there is still a long long way to go.
Outstanding statistical breakdowns like the above Drifmeyer Report are most certainly a step in the correct direction.
4/13/2014
Robert Bastille,
P.S. -- Tonight's HyTown Vignette is brought to you by an amazingly athletic American Staffordshire Terrier who now lives in Moscow... showing that the pitbull-like determination of one of America's favorite breeds is easily recognizable and without boarders... gumption, determination, and the ability to hold on and not let go, it's an American thing! [Press play]
