HRC Press Release: Harm Reduction Experts Urge Feds To Stem Overdose Epidemic

For Immediate Release: December 18, 2006 Media Contact: Dr. Sharon Stancliff Medical Director Harm Reduction Coalition (917) 653-3104 stancliff@harmreduction.org [7] Harm Reduction Experts Urge Feds To Stem Overdose Epidemic Deadly Opiate Linked To Hundreds Of Deaths WASHINGTON D.C. – Today over 120 medical experts, drug user health advocates, and urban public health departments issued an urgent call to the federal government to expand efforts to address a deadly wave of overdoses that have plagued injection drug users and their communities this year. The Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC), a national health and human rights advocacy group working to reduce drug-related harm, is leading the effort. Heroin contaminated with fentanyl, an opioid-based pain medication that is 50-80 times stronger than morphine, has killed well over 600 people in at least 8 states this year, including nearly 200 in Chicago, over 200 in the Detroit area, and nearly 200 in the Philadelphia area. Corey Davis, Legal Services Coordinator at Prevention Point Philadelphia, noted, "A client told us she watched her friend die in front of her and there was nothing she could do. If she had naloxone [a legal, non-scheduled prescription medication that reverses an opioid overdose] and was trained to use it, she could have saved her friend's life. We've lost a lot of our people due to fentanyl. This has to stop.” Experts believe that the number of deaths is vastly underreported, as many jurisdictions near these epicenters may lack resources, coordination, or expertise to monitor overdose trends. “This wave of overdose deaths poses an acute public health emergency and immediate threat to the lives of opiate users, while highlighting persistent weaknesses in health officials’ response to the increasing epidemic of both legal and illegal opiate overdose,” said Dr. Sharon Stancliff, HRC's Medical Director. A five-point strategy to reduce death by overdose is detailed in a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt. It includes recommendations ranging from surveillance of overdose related deaths, to street drug testing, to increased availability of naloxone for use by laypersons. The letter was sent in conjunction with the 5th anniversary of HRC’s Overdose Project, which began giving drug users training and tools to recognize, prevent and reverse overdoses in December 2001. The five recommendations in the letter call upon Secretary Leavitt to ensure that: 1. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) create surveillance systems to monitor overdose trends and threats. 2. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) provide emergency funds for research projects to answer urgent questions that will allow jurisdictions to immediately and effectively address the overdose epidemic. 3. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) rapidly replicate existing overdose prevention programs, and fully fund them. 4. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) inform CDC of levels of purity and presence of fentanyl and other hazardous contaminants in local drug supplies so CDC can notify the public. 5. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prepare an emergency report of the current overdose epidemic for Congress. This report should make emergency recommendations for prevention measures including: § Supporting community-based responses to overdose, including the use of naloxone by users and their loved ones; § Improving police and emergency medical services responses to overdoses; and § Enhancing the availability of substance abuse treatment. For full text of the letter, with complete list of signatories, see: http://harmreduction.org/news/pressreleases/leavitt_overdose_letter.pdf [8] Overdose is one of the leading causes of accidental death in several cities across the country, including San Francisco, New York, and Portland, Oregon. In response to this public health crisis, several jurisdictions in the United States have developed overdose prevention programs that include education, instruction in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the provision of naloxone for use by lay persons. These programs are associated with significant decreases in overdose deaths. # # # # For more information about the Harm Reduction Coalition, visit http://www.harmreduction.org/ [9]. For more information about overdose prevention, visit http://www.harmreduction.org/OVERDOSE/ [10].