Manchester Police Sgt. Morgan Lovejoy points out evidence of drug use at Victory Park in October 2021. He’s a member of the Community Response Unit, an outreach program of the Manchester police and health departments to connect people who have recently had drug overdoses with available services.
Manchester Police Sgt. Morgan Lovejoy points out evidence of drug use at Victory Park in October 2021. He’s a member of the Community Response Unit, an outreach program of the Manchester police and health departments to connect people who have recently had drug overdoses with available services.
The number of suspected overdoses in New Hampshire’s two largest cities was down in October compared to recent months, but both remain on pace for the highest number of opioid-related deaths in half a decade.
According to American Medical Response (AMR), the ambulance service for Manchester and Nashua, there were 56 suspected opioid overdoses in Nashua and Manchester during August, bringing the total for this year to 804.
“That is the lowest monthly suspected opioid overdose number since February 2021,” said Chris Stawasz, regional director of American Medical Response. “Last month there were 56 suspected opioid OD’s just in Manchester, so this drop is welcome news. October showed a significant drop in the number of overdoses, however the number of fatalities did not significantly decline.”
AMR medics responded to 34 suspected opioid overdoses in Manchester last month, and 22 in Nashua. That’s a decrease from September of 22, or 40%, in the Queen City, while Nashua increased by 1.
According to Stawasz, preliminary data shows Nashua has experienced 35 suspected opioid related deaths through October — five more than during all of 2021. The Gate City remains on pace to have close to one of the highest numbers of suspected deaths from opioids in a one-year period since the opioid epidemic began in 2015.
Manchester is still on pace to have the highest number of suspected opioid related deaths in a one-year period since 2016, Stawasz said.
According to AMR, of the 804 suspected opioid overdoses reported this year in Manchester and Nashua, 40% occurred in a home or residence, 23% happened in a public building or area, and 19% in a vehicle or roadway.
Just 6% took place in a hotel or motel.
In 31% of the overdoses, a bystander or member of the public administered Narcan prior to EMS personnel arriving on scene.
Year to date, 36% of individuals involved in suspected opioid overdoses in both cities gave no fixed address or said they were homeless. Thirty-two percent gave Manchester as their home address, 18% said Nashua.
Of the 804 overdose victims, 74% were male, 26% female, with an average age of 41. Seventy-six percent of overdose victims reported their ethnicity as Caucasian, with 5% reporting as Black and 4% as Hispanic or Latino. Fifteen percent reported their ethnicity as ‘unknown.’
“AMR medics continue to see and listen to reports from suspected opioid overdose patients who believed they were not specifically using opioids and were surprised that they overdosed on an opioid,” said Stawasz. “Methamphetamine use, which is not currently tracked and not included in this report, continues to be seen mixed with opioid use. Meth is a particularly dangerous drug for both users and first responders as it can cause extreme excited delirium and alarmingly unpredictable behavior in users.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
“There is no safe illicit drug,” Stawasz said in an email. “Users should bear in mind that it is highly likely there is some quantity of synthetic Fentanyl in virtually any substance that they are using.”
Users should not use alone, should have Narcan readily available, and in New Hampshire they can seek addiction treatment to prevent death by accessing the N.H. Doorway program. The N.H. Doorway program can be accessed by calling 2-1-1 at any time of the day or night.
