ADDRESSING THE OPIOID CRISIS & SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Why Alan Cares

Alan lived in Kittanning PA for the first few years of his life and then grew up in New Hampshire. Both of these communities have struggled with the Opioid Crisis. Alan has also spent his life working in low income communities which are most at risk for Opioid addiction because of lack of access to health care, lack of economic opportunity and lack of treatment options.

Our community has uniquely struggled with a severe health crisis. Substance abuse has taken far too many lives in this district and Commonwealth, and at times it feels like we are chasing the problem from two steps behind. Every day that passes, more families in this district are hurt, and we cannot wait any longer to act.

The opioid crisis needs to be dealt with as a health issue, not a criminal one. The sooner we activate more resources for our service members on the front lines (our firefighters, our police officers, our doctors and nurses, our counselors), the sooner we can get ahead of the curve.

Alan will make it a top priority to work with key leaders in local, state and federal government, health care, nonprofits, businesses and higher-ed including institutions like Bristol Community College, to develop a strategy to confront opioids and substance abuse head on.

The Facts

  • Five people die every day in Massachusetts from opioid abuse.
  • The overdose rate in Massachusetts is more than twice the national average.
  • Every single community in Massachusetts has been affected by the opioid epidemic.
  • One in twelve Americans over the age of 12 have a substance abuse disorder.
  • Roughly 8 in 12 people who die from opioid abuse had an opioid prescription at some point in the three preceding years for an injury or other medical complication.
  • Overdose rates have been steadily increasing in the state, with overdose death rates per 100,000 people quadrupling since 2000 from 6 to 24 in 2014.

For a detailed analysis of the Opioid epidemic in Massachusetts, please see the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Chapter 55 report on the crisis HERE.

ALAN'S ACTION PLAN

Alan will first destigmatize and elevate the opioid and substance challenges of our community and country. We must bring people out of the shadows and help normalize the discussion surrounding addiction, in order to enable a community approach to work.

Alan will prioritize care over criminality. That includes safe injection sites and needle exchanges which allow health care workers access to patients addicted to opioids in a controlled environment. Treatment is much easier without fear of criminal consequences, both from a healthcare provider’s point of view and an opioid user’s.

Alan will bring a service approach to addiction and recovery. He supports service programs, such as ones in Gloucester Massachusetts, Nashua NH, and Kentucky, in which people who were victims of Opioid addiction become counselors for those trying to fight addiction. This will open jobs and other opportunities for victims of abuse as they enter the road to recovery. He will activate AmeriCorps and other service volunteers to help connect opioid victims to the services they need.

Alan will hold those accountable who helped create this crisis, as Attorney General Maura Healey and others are doing. The fact that 2/3 of opioid overdoses stem from a previous prescription due to injury or other medical complications is a clear indicator of the role of drug companies in creating this crisis. He will cooperate on a comprehensive approach to make sure profiteers are liable for their actions and do not repeat the same mistakes.