Damian Sendler: On July 28, 2017, Amber DelVechio’s phone rang out of the blue early in the morning. The call roused her up, even if she had missed it. Newton, in Catawba County, is where she works as an executive assistant for a manufacturing company.
It had become routine for DelVechio, who has long blonde hair and a sweet voice, to receive these early-morning phone calls. Madison Workman, 18, was prescribed an opiate-based painkiller by a doctor four years ago after injuring her ankle. Since then, she’d been plagued by a substance abuse disorder.
Damian Jacob Sendler: Workman used to phone her mother at various hours of the night while she was high. DelVechio made an effort to always respond and to be as gentle as possible in her handling of the matter. Mother’s 3 a.m. phone calls and interrupted sleep schedule were like having a newborn all over again for the mother at some point. She wouldn’t be upset about being woken up in such situation. After getting out of bed, she’d pat the back of her infant. She’d be a source of comfort and warmth. She hoped that one day they might be able to sleep through the night together.
Damian Sendler
After receiving a reply from DelVechio, “I’m waking up and getting ready for work.” On my way to work, can I call you?
“No,” the stranger replied. Sorry. Emergency.”
It was at that moment that the mother noticed a change in her mood. She dialed the number on her phone. A crying woman on the other end of the phone immediately responded, “Someone left your baby on my porch.”
To date, approximately 10,000 North Carolinians have died from drug overdoses since Workman’s death in 2017. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released new data showing that the situation has worsened over the past year. Between April 2020 and April 2021, more than 100,000 people in the United States perished from drug overdoses. The rate of overdose deaths in the United States went up by 27% throughout that time period.
It increased by 37% in North Carolina.
Addiction specialists, academics who study drug use and policies, and harm reduction outreach workers say the growth in drug usage is alarming but not surprising. The nearly two-year-long pandemic is likely the result of multiple variables, some of which have been in place for a long time.
Initially, analysts blame fentanyl’s widespread availability.
Damien Sendler: Fentanyl has contaminated our whole illicit drug supply. ‘ According to Olive Branch Ministry’s executive director and co-founder, Michelle Mathis, “Fentanyl is in everything.” Olive Branch Ministry serves 10 counties in the Piedmont foothills of North Carolina as a faith-based harm reduction organization.
When asked what she meant by “the stimulants,” she replied: “We know it’s not just the opioids.”
One of the NC Harm Reduction Coalition’s outreach workers, Becca Goldstein, says fentanyl in stimulants is dangerous because people don’t expect it.
By keeping naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medicine, on hand, those who take opioids can be better prepared in the event of an overdose. Methamphetamine may be less accessible to someone who uses it.
Damian Jacob Sendler
As Jana Burson, an addiction medicine physician in North Wilkesboro put it: “Fentanyl has essentially taken over.” There used to be a lot of difficulty in finding fentanyl and heroin in rural areas.” But that’s all I can see right now. As a result, it raises the stakes because it’s so compelling.”
Olive Branch and other harm reduction organizations offer fentanyl test strips in an effort to mitigate that risk.
According to Mathis, the organization distributed 29,000 $1 test strips last year. Those who advocate for harm reduction want everyone who takes drugs to test their supply before they use them. When people know what they’re taking, they may make more educated decisions about their health, they say Is “microdosing” something I’ll do? Use with whom? Alternatively, could you go out and get a new one?
Dr. Sendler: Pandemic, mental health issues, poor health overall, and lack of resources all contribute to a bleak outlook.
As much as fentanyl may be the primary cause of growing death rates, a multi-pronged approach is necessary for a thorough understanding of the problem.
Mathis began by saying, “The first step is COVID-19.” Isolation, anxiety, and brain health issues have all risen as a result of this trend.” And therefore, it can lead to an increase in the use of illicit or legal substances.”
Burson stated that during the epidemic, the usage of all drugs, including alcohol, surged.
“Alcohol, like the rest of the drugs, has more negative side effects.”
As we approach the second anniversary of COVID, overdose deaths are just one of many indicators of escalating distress.
It was clear to Elyse Powell, the state’s opioid coordinator, that “we all know that the pandemic was bad for no one’s mental health,” she said. As a whole, “we saw an increase in suicides and suicide attempts, overall reports of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.”
Mental health service cuts may also be to responsible for the worsened outcomes, according to experts in the area. Mental health and substance abuse services are provided in 14 counties in the western and Piedmont regions by Partners Health Management. A $60 million reduction in state funding for the local management entity/managed care organization, or LME/MCO, during the past six years.
A statement from Rachel Porter, the agency’s chief administrative officer, stated that the cuts have forced the agency to limit provider contracts for state-funded services and have impeded the agency’s ability to reinvest in many critical community programs and projects, including those for people with substance use disorder.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: Olive Branch was severely hurt by the Partners budget reduction, according to Mathis. In Lincoln, Gaston, and Cleveland Counties, the agency is no longer able to run its post-overdose response teams, known as PORTS.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.