Manchester And Nashua Continue To Struggle With Overdoses And Deaths
AMR provides ambulance coverage from Manchester and Nashua and compiles the statistics for the two largest cities in New Hampshire.
By the end of September Manchester and Nashua have had 700 overdoses year to date. 77 of the overdoses have been fatal and several additional deaths are pending toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.
Manchester had 540 YTD overdoses with 47 YTD being fatal in the state's largest city.
Nashua had 160 YTD overdoses with 17 YTD being fatal.
AMR medics responded to 7 suspected opioid deaths in Nashua & Manchester during September.
In Nashua, suspected opioid ODs are trending 12% lower than last year on an annual basis. Suspected fatal opioid ODs in Nashua are trending 9% lower than last year. 19% of the suspected opioid OD’s AMR medics have responded to in Nashua have been fatal. That is a significantly concerning statistic and twice as high as Manchester.
In Manchester, suspected opioid ODs are trending 3% higher than last year on an annual basis. Total suspected fatal opioid ODs in Manchester are trending 20% lower than last year. 9% of the suspected opioid ODs AMR medics have responded to in Manchester have been fatal.
The continued high death rate is attributed to synthetic fentanyl which is commonly found in all types of illicit substances in NH. People who are using illicit substances have no idea that what they are using contains synthetic fentanyl - or how potent the synthetic fentanyl in the product is. Synthetic fentanyl can be lethal the first time you use it, knowingly or unknowingly.
In NH, anyone can seek substance use disorder treatment by accessing the NH Doorway program 24/7. To access the NH Doorway program, call 2-1-1 at any time of the day or night, or visit www.thedoorway.nh.gov. If you believe someone is overdosing call 9-1-1 immediately.
To help prevent death, it is critical that people who use illicit drugs do not use them alone and have Narcan readily available. Narcan is available throughout New Hampshire at most pharmacies. It is available free of charge from local public health departments & any NH Doorway location. It is completely safe and easy to administer. Narcan is now available over the counter, meaning it is available without a prescription.
There is no safe illicit drug. People who use illicit drugs of any type should bear in mind that it is highly likely there is synthetic Fentanyl in the substance that they are using.
© Manchester Information LLC www.manchesterinformation.com
Graphs and data are provided below:
