Deirdre Calvert News Today

Finally, some good news. Overdose deaths in Massachusetts fell by more than 10% last year, the first such decrease in more than four years.

The programs had seemed to help reduce the numbers of people living on the streets while facing mental health and substance use disorders, and address problems such as increasing violence in the encampment.

The rule could turn the tide in combating rising levels of opioid overdoses, say addiction specialists.

New data from the Department of Public Health shows an average 3% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths each year since 2015.

BOSTON — As overdoses impact people across Massachusetts, the DPH released a report mid-week that supports so-called overdose prevention centers or supervised injection sites, where individuals can use pre-acquired drugs

BOSTON — The state’s drug overdose crisis is persisting at record high levels, exacerbated by a “poisoned drug supply” that isn’t just affecting those who use opioids anymore.

BOSTON — As overdoses impact people across Massachusetts, the DPH released a report mid-week that supports so-called overdose prevention centers or supervised injection sites, where individuals can use pre-acquired drugs

DPH Commissioner Robert Goldstein said supervised injection sites "can be lifelines, serving not only as places of intervention, but as places of empathy, understanding, and healing."

The state’s drug overdose crisis is persisting at record high levels, exacerbated by a “poisoned drug supply” that isn’t just affecting those who use opioids anymore.

In Massachusetts, there’s no let up in the pace of deaths after a drug overdose. A state report out Wednesday showed the rate is expected to hold steady through the end of 2023. It was a grim reminder that overdoses remain one of the most challenging public health crises facing the state and the nation.