MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Madisen Peterson was dying - slowly - tablespoon by heated tablespoon.
His addiction to heroin and crystal methamphetamine had cost him a good job and relationships with family members and friends. Sick of stealing and lying, he told a friend he wanted to stop. And for the first time, he listened when she told him he needed Safe Station, a program that allows addicts to visit any firehouse in Manchester and get help getting clean.
On Oct. 21, 2016, he started coming back to life.
“I tried doing this alone, and it didn’t work. I needed support,” the 25-year-old said.
As drug overdose deaths rise nationwide, law enforcement agencies across the country are reconsidering how they handle addicts. In some places, police have teamed up with paramedics and addiction counselors or have opened their doors, offering to connect users with substance abuse specialists.
New Hampshire, which has seen one of the highest spikes in drug overdose deaths in the country in recent years, has two Safe Station programs, in Manchester and Nashua, to immediately connect addicts to a cache of services.
“There’s a very small window where the person has that moment of clarity, that moment of wanting help. You don’t want to lose that,” said Chris Hickey, Manchester’s emergency medical services officer.
Since the program began in May, more than 1,200 people have showed up in Manchester, ranging in age from 18 to 70 and traveling from all parts of the state.
In January, firefighters responded to 30 overdose deaths, half the number they saw in January 2015. Nashua’s Fire Chief Steve Galipeau saw a similar drop when his department started its program in November. And while those statistics can’t definitively be tied to the programs, officials believe they are a key factor.
“We have very, very, very few people we end up treating in the street for an overdose that have come through Safe Station,” Hickey said.
Program participants receive medical evaluations and then are taken either to a hospital or substance abuse treatment provider: Serenity Place in Manchester; Harbor Homes in Nashua. From there, they undergo further evaluations, attend group therapy sessions and work with counselors and case managers to develop a plan for housing, employment, and family and medical needs, said Stephanie Bergeron, executive director of Serenity Place.
Those who don’t have a place to stay or have to wait for a treatment bed are taken to an outreach center. Those who lack health insurance get help signing up for coverage.
“That’s what makes the difference,” Bergeron said. “We’re not talking about wait lists, we’re not asking what kind of insurance you have. We’re just figuring out what the barriers were and making sure you don’t have them again.
Treatment is not one-size fits all, Hickey said. Participants get plans tailored to their level of addiction and their lives.
And some fail, said Manchester Fire Chief Dan Goonan. In that case, he said, the addict gets Narcan and whatever else they need to keep them alive long enough to come back and try again.
“We’ve had people come back saying, “I died last night. They gave me Narcan and brought me back. Now I’m ready,’” Goonan said.
Peterson has become an advocate for the program in the months since he’s been clean. He’s a peer counselor at Serenity Place, has earned a job as a receptionist there and is working toward becoming an alcohol and other drug counselor.
“The minute I walked into the respite, they opened their arms and told me, ’You can do this,’” he said.
“Without Safe Station I’d probably be in jail or dead,” he said. “And now, my birthday is Sunday, and it’s the first birthday I can remember where I won’t be high.”
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