Opioid crisis reaches Barrington — 'It's here'

Officials say Barrington is not immune to opioids and overdoses

Posted 7/26/18

Eighteen years ago, the Barrington Fire Department hardly ever received a call for a drug overdose. 

Maybe one call every six months. Maybe less.

That was Scott Carroll's first year on the …

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Opioid crisis reaches Barrington — 'It's here'

Officials say Barrington is not immune to opioids and overdoses

Posted

Eighteen years ago, the Barrington Fire Department hardly ever received a call for a drug overdose. 

Maybe one call every six months. Maybe less.

That was Scott Carroll's first year on the job. He spent the bulk of his time responding to car accidents, house fires, and routine medical emergencies.

Now he's a captain with the department, and the calls to the fire station for drug overdoses or heroin use are one a week or a few times each month. 

"I would say it was about three years ago that it picked up for us," said Capt. Carroll. 

Officials call it the opioid crisis, or opioid epidemic, and they point a finger of blame at pharmaceutical companies. 

Drugs designed to help people cope with serious pain were prescribed for bruised ribs and broken toes. Pharmaceutical reps pushed a narrative upon doctors, they said pain was being under-treated and pain treatment needed to be a higher priority. 

Some doctors fell in step, and before long, the amount of prescribed opioids had grown to a staggering level.

According to information provided by the Rhode Island Attorney General's office, opioid prescriptions in Rhode Island in 2012 reached a high-water mark of 83.2 prescriptions for every 100 people. 

The sale of oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and other opioids yielded millions in profits for pharmaceutical companies. In just one year, the state's Medicaid program spent $6 million to pay for a single brand of opioids. More money was spent on generics.  

A short time later, drug overdoses began to spike. 

The epidemic surfaced in cities and in rural communities alike. Fire departments in urban areas responded to multiple overdose calls each day, and small-town volunteer departments struggled to keep up with the growing trend. 

Rhode Island had 336 overdose deaths in 2016 — a 90 percent increase from 2011 to 2016. Officials said 50 percent of the overdose deaths involved Fentanyl.

Over time the opioid crisis made its way to Barrington.

"And it's all types," said Capt. Carroll. "We had a woman, she was being treated for arthritis. She was on it for pain. They tried to wean her off it. She's probably in her 70s."

The fire department also receives plenty of calls for young people, folks between the ages of 20 and 35 who are using. Some of the calls are for people who are unable to talk — they are found slumped over inside their cars or passed out inside their homes. Some have stopped breathing.

Barrington firefighters and police officers carry Narcan. The medicine can reverse the effects of opioid-related overdoses and breath life into a person on the brink of death. 

"I've gotten to many, many calls where Narcan was given by family members. Or I've gotten there and the cops have used it," said Capt. Carroll.

Sometimes, the victims spring to life, instantly angered by the people who ruined their high. They almost always refuse to be transported to the hospital.

"Typically who gets upset is family members," said Capt. Carroll. "They don't want the person transported. A lot of guys here (in the Barrington Fire Department) have had experiences where we'll get a call for what we think is CPR in progress, somebody's unconscious. You get there, and they've given Narcan in the meantime, and you find it was some kind of drug thing. 

"We've gotten into some heavy discussions with people on the scene, because they refuse transport. When the patient is answering questions and fits the criteria of being allowed to refuse transport, they can refuse. They're meeting all the criteria — they know the date, the time, the place, all those things. Even though five minutes earlier, CPR was in progress…"

Last year in Barrington, there were seven documented overdose cases, but Capt. Carroll said the actual number was probably triple that. 

And then there are the incidents involving people from Barrington who leave town to use drugs. 

"…what you have in this town is people who leave, do it, and then come back," he said. 

Earlier this year, two Barrington residents were found dead inside a Seekonk motel, two more victims of opioid-related overdoses.

"It's here," Capt. Carroll, said of the opioid crisis. 

"It's not the first time someone shot up heroin when I show up."

Strategic plan

Barrington officials have been working on building a strategic plan to address the opioid epidemic. 

In March, people from the fire department, police department, the region's prevention coalition and other agencies met and discussed the issue. Susan Terhune also attended the meeting. 

Ms. Terhune's son, Eric Cabral, died three years ago after overdosing. The former Barrington High School graduate was 36 years old.

Ms. Terhune said her son started using drugs when he was young, just months after he graduated from high school. She said he started by smoking marijuana, and before long was using heroin. She said Fentanyl killed him.

"He was in and out of rehabs," said Ms. Terhune. "He wanted to be sober. He was so embarrassed with his addiction."

Ms. Terhune attended the meeting because she wanted to do something, anything to help combat the opioid crisis.

"I knew I had to step up," she said. 

Ms. Terhune offered some helpful information, most of it learned through painful experiences. She said people who are suffering from addiction need support coaches, not stigmas. She said most are tired and don't want to keep using. 

Barrington's plan focuses on prevention, rescue, treatment and recovery, it identifies risk factors and resources and the segment of the population most likely to be impacted. 

The lawsuit

In June, the Rhode Island Attorney General's office filed a civil lawsuit against Purdue Pharma L.P., Insys Therapeutics, Inc., McKesson Drug Company, Cardinal Health, Inc., and the AmerisourceBergen Drug Company, alleging unfair, deceptive and fraudulent marketing and promotion of opioids in Rhode Island. 

According to a press release from the AG's office, companies worked to convince prescribers and patients that opioids were appropriate for prolonged use for more widespread, less severe pain conditions such as back pain, migraines, and arthritis. 

"The complaint further alleges that Defendant Insys paid prescribers to give sham lectures to promote its highly potent fentanyl-based opioid Subsys, as part of a kickback program to encourage high volume fentanyl prescribers."

The AG's lawsuit follows a lengthy investigation by that office.

“The opioid epidemic is a major public health crisis in Rhode Island and we must use every tool at our disposal to fight back," stated RI AG Peter Kilmartin. 

"This suit reflects what we found through our investigation and seeks to hold those we believe to be responsible accountable for their actions, as well as seeking long-term remedies to help our citizens."

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