GREENFIELD — Standing on the Greenfield Common with tears in his eyes, Robert Ramirez shared his story of losing his brother, Michael, to opioid addiction.
“I lost my little brother,” Ramirez said. “I miss him dearly. To all those suffering, my heart goes out to you.”
The new Greenfield resident was one of several to share his personal loss during a vigil to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31, which was co-hosted by The RECOVER Project and Tapestry.
As people gathered at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew and later on the Greenfield Common, they spoke about the stigma of addiction, the struggles of recovery and the memories of loved ones lost to addiction.
“It’s really hard to climb out of that hole, to reach your hand out and say, ‘I want to get out,’” said Kemah Wilson, who helped organize the vigil. “We love our people, but sometimes the pain is too much. The drug is too much.”
Last year alone, 44 people in Franklin County and Athol died of unintentional opioid overdoses, a 52% increase from 2020 and a 132% increase from 2019, according to data from the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. Across the country, overdoses are surging as well, as 2021 marked the worst year for fatal opioid overdoses recorded, with more than 107,000 deaths across the United States and 2,500 deaths in Massachusetts alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among the speakers on Wednesday were Mayor Roxann Wedegartner and Dr. Dean Singer, the medical director at Health Care Resource Centers’ methadone clinic in Greenfield. Methadone is a daily medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid use disorder.
Wedegartner said she wanted to “acknowledge the loss” that many in the community have felt due to the opioid crisis, which she blamed on “Big Pharma.” She noted that some opioid companies are being held responsible for their role in pushing prescription drugs onto doctors and patients.
“Big Pharma is getting its due,” Wedegartner said. “Millions and billions of dollars are being charged to Big Pharma and that money is coming back to the community.”
One example is Purdue Pharma, the creator of OxyContin. In March, the company reached a $6 billion settlement that will send money to communities affected by the opioid crisis, according to the Associated Press.
Any money Greenfield receives from opioid settlements, Wedegartner said, will go to recovery programs.
“As long as I’m mayor, a good portion of that will go, as it should, to recovery programs,” she said. “I can’t think of a better thing to do with that money and it’s exactly what it’s for.”
At the Greenfield Common, Tapestry, The RECOVER Project and Health Care Resource Centers set up tables offering information and resources for people, while more people were given a chance to speak and share stories about their recovery or loved ones.
Speaking to the crowd, Sarah Ahern, a peer recovery coach, talked about the number of people in the region dying from unintentional opioid overdoses, but emphasized that those lost are more than just numbers.
The stigma of addiction, she said, can prevent people from reaching out or getting the help they need.
“Stigma is still the reason folks can’t access resources or treatment,” Ahern said. “It feeds our disease.”
Singer said that, from a doctor’s perspective, the medical industry needs to change how it looks at people struggling with addiction.
“For whatever reason, we have developed this system where it is hard, as a person who uses drugs, to be treated like a human being in the medical system,” Singer said.
If the industry can address these challenges, he said, they can potentially save lives.
“I really want everybody to understand that this is a crisis that is entirely preventable,” Singer said. “We need to do a better job of listening and hearing what people have to say, who have lived experience, because we have a very advanced medical system and people are still dying every day.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.
An earlier version of the article included an incorrect title for Greenfield resident Sarah Ahern. Ahern is a recovery coach supervisor at CHOiCE Recovery Coaching in Springfield and a peer leader with The RECOVER Project.