NH Overdose Deaths Drop In 2018 After Record-High 2017

CONCORD, NH -- The latest New Hampshire opioid overdose report released Thursday showed some hope in the ongoing crisis. There have been 249 opioid overdose deaths in the state as of mid-October, according state Medical Examiner Jennie Duval. That puts the state on track for about 420 by the end of the year. It would be a 14 percent drop from last year's total of 488 -- a modern record that officials said was fueled by fentanyl.

"There are 82 cases from 2018 that are 'pending toxicology,'" Duval said in the report. "It can take 2 to 3 months to receive the toxicology results and for our pathologist to review them and determine the cause of death."

Federal officials in recent weeks approved a massive increase in recovery program funding for New Hampshire residents struggling with addiction.

One program that officials said has saved countless lives is "Safe Station," which is run in Nashua and Manchester. It allows anyone to walk into any city fire station and get connected with opioid recovery help, no questions asked. Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan started the Safe Station program in 2016 and it was expanded to Nashua. More than 5,000 people have sought help through Safe Station in both cities, officials said.

President Trump praised the program as example of how community members can help fellow citizens struggling with drug addiction.

"I am calling on every American to join the ranks of guardian angels like Chief Goonan ... who help lift up the people of our great nation," Trump said in a national address last year in Manchester in which he declared opioid abuse a national public health emergency.

New Hampshire last year had the third-highest opioid overdose rate in the country, according to federal statistics.

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