Statement by Oami Amarasingham, Deputy Director, Massachusetts Public Health Association,

Data regarding overdose deaths in the Commonwealth released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is devastating. Each of the 2,357 overdose deaths last year represents a family in pain and a community loss. These deaths are preventable; every overdose death is a policy failure. At the heart of these data is the reality that racial disparities are getting worse: the rate of overdose for Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic people increased significantly while rates of overdose for white people decreased. 

We applaud the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for taking action in the face of this devastating report. The plan outlined by MDPH, including a fast-tracked overdose prevention center feasibility study, puts Massachusetts on the path to reverse the trends and save lives by focusing on harm reduction and root causes. While some states are implementing ill-conceived criminalization and punitive measures in response to overdose deaths, we are glad to see MDPH and the Healey-Driscoll Administration rely on data and experience that shows that the public health approach is more effective and long-lasting.

The Massachusetts Public Health Association has endorsed and is a member of the coalition advocating for the quick passage of H.1981/S.1242, An Act Relative to Preventing Overdose Deaths and Increasing Access to Treatment, sponsored by Rep. Dylan Fernandes, Rep. Marjorie Decker, and Sen. Julian Cyr to establish an overdose prevention center pilot program. Overdose prevention centers are a life-saving public health intervention.

Read the full release.