The Opioid Crisis has resulted in outrageous death rates around the United States for the last few decades. Opioids take several forms, and whether they are abused through a pill capsule, powder, or melted down to a liquid, their dangers are equally dangerous to the human body.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, from January of 2018 to June of 2018, there were 657 deaths in definite result of opioid overdose and close to 400 deaths were predicted to be caused by opioids. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the United States’ yearly opioid death toll surpassed 70,000. In the National Vital Statistics Report vol. 67 published on December 12, 2018, heroin was reported to be the leading cause of drug-related overdose deaths in the United States for four straight years, taking the lead over oxycontin deaths in 2012. However, since 2016, fentanyl has topped the list.
Nevertheless, this country-wide phenomenon has now reached Massachusetts.
Fentanyl recently became the leading cause of opioid overdose in Massachusetts, surpassing heroin by flying colors. Meaghan Decker, the Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Education Services at Western New England University, stated that “among the 962 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2018 where a toxicology screen was also available, 863 of them (90%) had a positive screen result for fentanyl.”
However, it is not that people are abusing fentanyl intentionally; it is being cut into cocaine, a stimulant “party drug” and seemingly less dangerous substance amongst the general public, which is causing people to overdose unlike ever before. “There are two schools of thought as to why the increase in fentanyl-laced cocaine. The first reason is that dealers are doing it intentionally. The second theory is that it is done non-intentionally by drug dealers through inadvertent cross-contamination,” says Decker. Its unknown, undetectable presence is fatal.
Since the dangers of this epidemic have made themselves known around Western Massachusetts, the Department of Public Safety at Western New England University has already began to spring into action. “Our staff have received training bulletins and instruction regarding this dangerous drug, and Department of Public Safety vehicles have now been equipped with Narcan to administer to anyone experiencing a suspected overdose situation,” states Adam Woodrow, Chief of the Department of Public Safety. Narcan is an overdose-reversing drug and, when administered at the appropriate time and dosage, can fully relieve the dangers and effects of an overdose.
Not only has our campus’ squad begun to take action, but surrounding police forces are working together to keep students and staff as safe as possible. Chief Woodrow shares that “the Department of Public Safety works closely with other College and University Police Departments as well as our municipal partners to share information on such activities.” They share information with one another to detect and share potential trends in the area, find methods and techniques to maintain safety, and do the best they can to ensure that these dangerous substances are not making their way onto surrounding college campuses.
The Department of Public Safety goes about their daily tasks with one main goal in mind: to keep students safe. “Our primary concern is for the health and safety of our community members,” Woodrow says. They work hard to have staff members patrolling the campus 24/7 and have over 300 surveillance cameras in action throughout the campus.
Meaghan Decker is another hard-working individual on campus that works to combat substance use. As the Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Education Services, she cares deeply about the health and well-being of students. “My primary aim is to encourage healthy choices and responsible decision-making,” states Decker. She provides educational programs, interventions, and trainings to students and faculty around campus with that goal in mind.
“I believe the best way to maintain drug awareness around campus is to provide honest and non-judgmental education that can be readily available to students,” declares Decker. Yet, faculty and staff can only do so much. It is also up to students to keep themselves and their peers as safe and healthy as possible. With that being said, be sure to always report suspicious behavior, and if you see something out of the ordinary, report it. If you see something, say something.
The Department of Public Safety can be reached quite a few ways. If you have not already, install the Rave Guardian application on your phone and pair it to Western New England University to receive emergency alerts and also to quickly report emergencies. The Department of Public Safety can also be reached by email, at police@wne.edu, or by phone number. The emergency line is 413-782-1411, and the non-emergency line is 413-782-1207.
If you would like more information, or if you believe that you, a friend, or a family member may be struggling with drugs, alcohol, and/or addiction, please visit the Counseling Center located upstairs in the Campus Center. You may al