It seems every day we see a story about the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. As fentanyl use has increased, so have deaths.
The latest Department of Health data shows that 93% of opioid overdose deaths involved fentanyl. And the rate of opioid-related overdose deaths in the state has increased at a rate of 3% a year on average. These are sobering data points.
In Worcester 130 people died last year in opioid-related deaths, and that number rises to nearly 300 when you include the whole county. It’s a scourge that’s personal to me.
I’ve been in recovery myself for 26 years, and as the director of the recovery program for IBEW Local 103 I’ve delivered Bibles to way too many families who have lost loved ones to opioid overdoses. I’m so tired of doing that.
Local 103 is made up of thousands of electricians and telecommunications workers who work on roads, bridges, public transit, ports and airports. You probably know at least one of our members. They are your neighbors, your brothers, sisters, parents, aunts and uncles. You may have even hired one of our members.