Nashua Opioid Recovery Resources: 'You Don’t Have To Be Alone'

NASHUA, NH — As Nashua continues to grapple with the opioid crisis, more recovery resources have become available. Perhaps the easiest way to get help is through "Safe Station." The program, launched in 2016 by Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan and expanded to Nashua, allows anyone dealing with opioid abuse to walk into a city fire station and get connected with recovery help — no questions asked.

Opioid Abuse A "National Public Health Emergency"

President Trump recently highlighted Safe Station as a model for other states struggling with opioid abuse. In October, Trump declared opioid addiction a national public health emergency during an address to the nation and singled out programs like Safe Station.

"It will take many years and even decades to address this scourge in our society," Trump said in a speech at the White House. "But we must start in earnest now to combat a national health emergency. We are inspired by the stories of every day heroes who pull their communities from the depths of despair, through leadership and through love."

Trump continued, "Fire chief Dan Goonan of New Hampshire ... runs a program, Safe Station, which allows drug-dependent residents to seek help at fire stations at any time. Jesse and Cindi Swafford of Dayton, Ohio, have provided a loving, stable home to children affected by the opioid crisis. I am calling on every American to join the ranks of guardian angels like Chief Goonan and the Swaffords who help lift up the people of our great nation."

The Nashua Safe Station program so far has helped more than 1,300 people and counting, according to Christopher Stawasz, regional director for American Medical Response, which provides ambulatory services in Nashua and Manchester. In Manchester, about 2,900 people have received help through Safe Station.

"2017 was a year of significant progress in reducing deaths and continuing to provide rapid single point access to people seeking recovery services," Stawasz said in a statement. "That progress was a direct result of many, many individuals and entities working tirelessly and without pause."

Nashua Opioid Recovery Help: "You Don't Have To Walk This Journey Alone"

Another option for those struggling with opioid abuse in Nashua is a peer recovery program like the one offered at Revive Recovery Center on Main Street. The center, launched last year thanks to a federal block grant, pairs new patients with coaches who have recently recovered from opioid abuse themselves.

The center has served "hundreds" since it launched in the fall, according to Allen Irwin, the center's recovery support manager.

"You don’t have to walk this journey alone," Irwin said in an interview with Patch. "You don’t have to be alone in that fight ... You come down to the center and get connected with someone who has walked the same path."

Irwin said the "tide is turning" in terms of the number of people he encounters in Nashua wanting to get help. He called Revive a "safe place to go to get connected with people who are in recovery themselves."

Narcan Use In Nashua: 315 Percent Increase

Along with recovery centers, the increased use of the overdose antidote Narcan appears to be an effective tool in the opioid fight. In 2017, first responders saw a 315 percent increase in the use of Narcan by Good Samaritans during overdose situations, according to Stawasz. Nashua first responders, schools and recovery centers are now stocked with Narcan.

But even with the increased availability recovery centers and Narcan, the deadly consequences of opioid abuse are all too clear in Nashua. In December, Stawasz said first responders encountered 24 people who overdosed in Nashua. Two of them died.

Photo: Madisen Peterson, of Farmington, N.H., enters Serenity Place, a drug and alcohol recovery organization, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. Peterson, a heroin user who has been clean for over four months, decided last year to change his life by taking advantage of the Safe Station program by visiting at Manchester fire station, which helped place him in recovery at Serenity Place. Peterson now volunteers at Serenity Place, helping to aid drug users entering the program. (Credit: Charles Krupa/Associated Press)