Giorgio: Another Victim of The Opioid Epidemic

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Paul Giorgio, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

The local newspapers are filled with their names. They are the victims of drug overdoses, the one who didn’t make it. The daily obituary pages call out to us. There are at least three or four twenty year olds who die every week.

You need to read between the lines. The obituary never says died of a drug overdose, what they do say is "died unexpectedly" or “died suddenly at home”. In most cases it is code for a drug overdose. Just ask your local funeral director. They will tell you what is going on.

These victims all chose the path they took, although the opioid epidemic is insidious. They did not want to die but the path they took led to their deaths.

Worst drug crisis ever.

We are in the middle of the worst drug crisis we have ever faced. The daily newspapers are filled with the stories of shootings and petty crimes. However, according to police statics, crime in most categories is down. This is no conciliation if you are a victim.

If you are not involved in the drug trade or a member of a gang, you have nothing to fear.

The youngest victim.

But, I am not talking about adult victims of the opioid epidemic. I am talking about the youngest victim. I am talking about Avalena Conway Coxon, the 2 year old foster child who died in Auburn last week. She wasn't an addict, but her birth mother, by her own admission is.

The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) removed the 2 year old from the birth mother and placed her in foster care. It was there that she died. Another child is in critical condition.

In a typical move, the birth mother blamed DCF and the foster mom. Maybe DCF was lax; the foster mom was looking after six children. But what about the birth mother’s responsibility to her child? My heart weeps for the mother, but at some point, she must realize her actions began this saga.

After all, it was her self- reported addiction that led to the child’s removal from the home and the foster care placement. The mother was fighting her demons. Her child became secondary.

The birth mother took no responsibility. We of course expect the state to protect children in their care. And possibly, this was an inappropriate placement. According to reports, the Auburn police had been to the foster home address over 30 times.

Let’s fight the problem in Avalena’s memory.

We need to fight this drug war on all levels. We need to work with people of all ages and we need treatment on demand-not jail.

In Worcester, Mayor Joe Petty has led the fight for a unique program. Worcester will be opening a recovery high school in two weeks. This school will treat young addicts in a holistic manner, combining education, healthcare and support services. We need to get people into recovery. We need to have more beds for treatment and less jail cells for punishment.

Some will criticize this unique approach.

Fight the cause not the results.

We need to fight the problem not its results. If we don't fight addiction, our jails will not be able to handle the number of inmates we will create.

If we don’t solve the problem, there will be more crime and shootings. One shooting is one too many. One murder is one too many and one drug overdose death, is one too many.

We need to break the addiction cycle before it breaks us.

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Giorgio: Another Victim of The Opioid Epidemic

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