Drug overdose deaths are decreasing in New Hampshire, but overdoses continue to kill hundreds of people each year. NHPR recently spoke with a number of people in recovery in Manchester about what they think is needed in the state right now. “[They] just bring you in for 30 days, and then 30 days kick you out,” Ramon Duran said.
“Thirty days is not enough to heal somebody. I think if we were freely able to go to recovery whenever we need it without stressing out about some kind of insurance or a choice of where they put you or not put you.” NHPR’s Rick Ganley spoke with Randy Stevens, the Executive Director of Hope for New Hampshire Recovery about what’s working and what more could be done to help people with substance use disorders.
This interview was part of NHPR’s remote broadcast from the Airport Diner in Manchester ahead of Election Day. Transcript Now the year isn't over, but the number of people overdosing in the city is significantly lower than it was at this point last year – 357 compared to last year's 697. What do you think is leading to that decrease in overdoses overall? Well it's multifaceted.
We have a lot more Narcan distribution and harm reduction services being accessible within the city and the state. We also have, you know, a push for more treatment. We have more peer support specialists.
We need many more than we have, but we're seeing an increase in all of these areas, right? So we're hiring more staff to help people support people. And th.
