A recent report has shown that opioid overdose deaths were down 5 percent in the first six months of 2021.
While this trend seems to be heading in the right direction, overdose deaths spiked 30 percent in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, a worrisome figure considering the many are still feeling the after effects of being in isolation for so long.
Last Friday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives today unanimously passed its spending proposal utilizing American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) surplus funds. Funded at $3.82 billion, the bill addresses disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to facilitate recovery through one-time investments in housing, environment and climate mitigation, economic development, workforce, education and health and human services.
This week Rep. Adrian Madaro, who chairs the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, applauded the House’s commitment to invest $250 million for behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services, including $100 million for workforce initiatives with $15 million specifically for community health centers.
“The investments made in the ARPA bill are a major step forward in addressing the mental health and substance use needs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Madaro. “By investing in the physical infrastructure and workforce behind our healthcare delivery systems, we are ensuring that the Commonwealth is equipped to tackle the mental and behavioral health and substance use crises that have been exacerbated in the past few years. These issues are top priorities for the House as we build back from the pandemic.”
According to the state Public Health Council while the number of overdoses are trending downward, opioid overdose death rates increased for Black non-Hispanic males and Asian/Pacific Islander males between 2019 and 2020, while decreasing for white non-Hispanic males. The overdose death rate for all women rose in 2020, and the increase was higher for Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic women than for white non-Hispanic women.
“Overdose deaths increased 30% during the first year of the pandemic, a devastating step back from the progress made in reducing overdose mortality since the 2016 peak,” said Madaro. “Though the first six months of 2021 saw a 5% decrease in overdose deaths, the opioid overdose crisis is still very much raging in Massachusetts, with a disproportionate impact on Black individuals and other individuals of color. This is why I am grateful for the significant investment in recovery and treatment services.
Since being appointed chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Madaro said his committee is making a push to invest in evidence-based initiatives that address not only substance use disorder, but also structural factors that exacerbate overdose mortality, such as stress, trauma, housing insecurity, the criminalization of mental and behavioral health conditions, and poverty.
Madaro was instrumental in the past to secure state funding for the development and administration of a program to prevent and treat addiction to opioid and related substances through the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. The program closed services gaps and ensured treatment councilors were able to cover the critical hours of night and weekend shifts with the hopes that this coverage could be the difference needed in preventing overdoses and encouraging treatment for addicts. He also secured state funding to focus efforts on mental health through the Health Center and how it pertains to substance abuse disorders.
Earlier this year, the Massachusetts Legislature voted to transfer the state’s $5.3 billion allocation from ARPA, which must be allocated by 2024, into a separate fund to ensure stakeholder and resident engagement in a public process. Following six public hearings and more than a thousand pieces of testimony received, the House Ways & Means Committee released its proposal which the House approved 159-0 today.
“This spending package makes significant, targeted investments into areas such as affordable housing, workforce development, and boosting our healthcare system that will give a much-needed boost to our residents who were hit the hardest by this pandemic,” said Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). “Throughout this legislation, the needs of communities that were disproportionately affected by the pandemic are prioritized. By doing so, the House has passed a truly equitable spending plan.”