Vermont Business Magazine As part of its harm reduction approach to the treatment of opiate use, the Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program is distributing free test strips that can indicate the presence of fentanyl in illicit opiates. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 63,632 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2016. The CDC attributes the rise in overdose deaths to the increased presence of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Catherine Simonson, the Howard Center chief of client services, called the fentanyl test strips another public health tool that can help save lives. “We believe that now is the time to introduce this added resource,” said Simonson. The Vermont Department of Health reports that fentanyl was involved in two thirds of 2017 opioid overdose deaths, an increase of more than a third between 2016 and 2017 (from 49 deaths to 67). In the first four months of 2018, nearly 83 percent of all opioid fatalities involved fentanyl.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George concurs and says, “We need to continue to work collectively to explore new initiatives which can help to save lives and support people in treatment and recovery. We have worked hard locally to approach this epidemic from many fronts and will continue to do so until we can reduce the number of people dying from overdose.”
Without testing, it is nearly impossible to determine whether a particular sampling of opiates, cocaine, or methamphetamine may contain fentanyl, so individuals are unaware of the presence of fentanyl in the drugs they are using until it is too late. Providing test strips will enable people to test their drugs for fentanyl and make a decision not to use or to adjust their dose accordingly. A study done by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported that the majority of people who use drugs would modify their drug use behaviors if their drugs tested positive for fentanyl.
The testing procedure is relatively easy. A small sample of the drug is mixed with water and the test strip is then dipped into the solution. Similar to a pregnancy test, lines appear on the strip. One line
indicates the presence of fentanyl, two means there is no fentanyl present. Although other methods exist to test for fentanyl, the testing strips have a higher accuracy rate than other techniques.
Grace Keller, Coordinator at Safe Recovery, also views the test strips as a gateway to treatment. She notes, “We already provide sterile, safe injection supplies and distribute free and anonymous Narcan overdose reversal kits. Distributing the test strips is one more opportunity to provide support to our clients and talk to them about drug treatment options and other services, like HIV and Hepatitis C testing.” She adds that explaining to clients how to use the test strips may also be a time to talk to them about the use and administration of the overdose reversal drug naloxone (Narcan) in the event of an opiate overdose.
Since widespread distribution in Vermont of naloxone was introduced in December 2013, Safe Recovery has handed out over 18,500 doses, and more than 1,250 people have reported they have used it to save a life.
Approximately 3,000 test strips will be distributed through Safe Recovery in this initial phase, and the cost will be covered through donations and fundraising efforts. Simonson noted, “Our mission is to improve the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities. We remain committed to doing everything we can to help people stay alive so that they have the opportunity to access treatment and begin the recovery process.”
Howard Center helps 16,000 people in over 60 locations and six counties each year with mental health, substance use, and developmental services.
Source: Howard Center. Burlington. 7.24.2018