City Council discusses report showing increase in opiate overdose deaths in city

WORCESTER — With a city report finding an increase in opiate overdose mortality, the City Council discussed possible tools to address the crisis, including so-called overdose prevention centers.

In response to a City Council order from last year, the city Department of Health and Human Services presented a strategic plan to address opiate overdose hot spots in the city.

From 2018 to 2022, statewide overdose fatalities grew by 15.7%; Worcester exceeded that trend with an increase of 17.8% over the same time period, according to the report.

Preliminary Worcester Police Department data showed an 11% increase in opioid-related fatalities from January to September 2023 compared with the same months in 2022.

A spatial analysis found mortality hot spots in Main Middle and Main South, Webster Square, Vernon Hill, Union Hill and Chandler Hill.

Mortality hot spots for Hispanics were found in Main South and extended to Vernon Hill and Union Hill. Main South also had slightly elevated mortality rates for Black residents. The predominant mortality hot spots primarily consisted of white non-Hispanic residents.

Police data also recorded 16 deaths from 2019 to 2023 in areas in and around encampments: two in 2020, two in 2021, three in 2022 and nine in 2023, with eight likely being related to opiate overdoses.

A look at priorities

To combat overdose deaths, Health and Human Services Commissioner Dr. Matilde Castiel writes, the city's priority areas should include expanding housing (transitional housing, permanent-supportive housing and sober housing), with a focus on creating a comprehensive data system related to opioids, implementing harm-reduction strategies, awareness campaigns and education, and supporting recovery efforts.

District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj requested a report from the Department of Health and Human Services on the feasibility and benefits of establishing overdose prevention centers, facilities where illicit drug users are monitored while taking drugs to prevent overdoses and deaths.

Haxhiaj said she was particularly interested in including data about the effectiveness of OnPoint NYC's two overdose prevention centers in New York City. Castiel visited an OnPoint NYC site last year and said she was impressed with its operation.

'A whole big picture'

Saying he had reservations about bringing a supervised injection site to Worcester, District 3 City Councilor George Russell asked for the report to include what other agencies are currently providing outreach to people using opiates in the city and to see how they impact other community members.

"Community is about everybody including those who have addiction, in my opinion, and I want this to be a whole big picture," Russell said.

Castiel referred to the overdose prevention centers as another tool to combat overdose deaths and said data has found the sites reduce mortality and connect patients with other services.

"The ultimate goal is to decrease stigma and bring people into care," Castiel said. "That's not going to be the end-all and be-all. There's going to have to be some more productive medical care that can happen."

Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King asked Castiel about how important having data was for health interventions.

Castiel said data is key to public health and collecting it is a collaboration between health entities using records.

The importance of data

"I don't think that anything that we do in public health can function without data," Castiel said. "Data's the most important thing that we need so that we can act."

King said he hoped for an increase in staffing to help the health and human services department, particularly with grant writing, and that he appreciated the department working with public schools to reduce stigma around addiction.

Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen said they appreciated the strategic plan mentioning partnerships with community groups such as The Village Worcester and AIDS Project Worcester and requested funding to support increasing partnerships and community education.

Councilor-at-Large Donna Colorio also requested that any additional report from Castiel include Castiel's professional opinion about what methods undertaken by the city have failed to address overdose deaths.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester City Council discusses increase in opiate overdoses in city