Treatment, Narcan Credited for OD DeclineMarch 31, 2005
Research Summary
Drug overdose deaths declined 12 percent in Baltimore last year, reaching a five-year low, and observers credit an increased investment in addiction treatment for saving lives, the Baltimore Sun reported March 28. Another factor: a program to distribute Narcan, a drug that can prevent death among overdose victims.In 2004, 261 people died of drug overdoses in Baltimore, down from a recent peak of 336 in 2002. Most of the deaths involved heroin and/or cocaine.
City health commissioner Peter L. Beilenson credited the Staying Alive initiative, funded by George Soros' Open Society Institute, for cutting the death rate. The program trains drug users to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to treat it, including administering Narcan. Vials of the antidote are given to addicts who complete the program.
City 911 operators reported 52 incidents where people administered Narcan to fellow addicts who overdosed. "It's very encouraging," said Beilenson. "It's not coincidental that the number of 'saves' is about equivalent to the amount that [overdoses] have dropped."
In addition, 25,000 people received addiction treatment in Baltimore last year, up from 11,000 in 1998.
Despite the OD decline, Baltimore remains near the top of the list among U.S. cities in terms of overdose deaths. And some, like former Baltimore County bureau of substance abuse chief Michael W. Gimbel, remain skeptical about Narcan, worrying that it could encourage continued drug use.
"I still feel strongly that giving Narcan ... is not the best way to get addicts clean and sober and back into society," said Gimbel, a former heroin addict. "If they're claiming that people took a class and were trained [in using Narcan], I'd love to see those people get trained in how to seek a job and go back to school."
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