Worker Wellness Blog: Decrease in Overdose Deaths in US
Date Posted: September 24, 2024
Posted In: Discussion, Workforce,
by Dr. John Gaal
Editor’s Note: Each week, Dr. John Gaal, director of worker wellness for the Missouri Works Initiative, a non-profit workforce formed by the Missouri AFL-CIO, collects and comments on news and trends in workforce wellness and life balance. Construction Forum carries the Worker Wellness & Well-Being Blog as a regular feature.
The MO Works Initiative focuses on creating healthy and recovery friendly workplaces; connecting laid-off workers with job-search or upskilling resources for future employment; and collaborating with community partners to offer innovative points of entry to traditional apprenticeship opportunities.
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at the importance of teens and parents developing a “suicide safety plan”, when appropriate; to what lawmakers can do to improve the lives of Vets with PTSD via service dogs; to how chemicals used in food packaging may be negatively impacting your health.
This week I would like to take this opportunity to take a closer look at the recent news regarding a decrease in overdose (OD) deaths in the USA. Stats reveal that OD deaths declined 11% nationwide and up to 30% in some regions.[1]
While this news appears promising, some experts suggest that it is too early to identify which intervention factor(s) can be attributed to this decline. Was it the end of COVID or the arrest of high-profile Mexican Drug Cartel leaders? This “not knowing why” impedes our ability to leverage what is working! Nevertheless, a few advocates point to the use of Narcan as part of a larger “harm reduction” strategy to reduce OD deaths. (Having related firsthand experience, I can tell you saving a life was life-changing!)
Meanwhile, as this nation enters the 4th wave of the opioid epidemic (known as polysubstances), the fentanyl “cocktails” involving Xylazine and Meth are more poisonous than ever.[2]
With OD deaths still hovering around the 100,000 mark per year, now is not the time to take our foot off the pedal. To be sure, some groups of people/communities are impacted more than others, (i.e., Native Americans, inner-city). Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to continue offering an array of pathways to recovery. These can include MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder) programs, out-patient and in-patient treatment centers, group therapy, safe injection sites, etc.
So, until we have evidence on what “really” works, let’s continue to offer hope by being prepared to expand opportunities to connect and make a difference. In the meantime, please consider getting trained on how and when to use Narcan.[3], [4], [5]
Take it from me, you CAN make a difference!!!
Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/
Sources:
[2] https://www.npr.org/2024/09/18/nx-s1-5107417/overdose-fatal-fentanyl-death-opioid
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmrPgantvn8
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klB8Vza9ac&t=12s
[5] www.ANSW.org