Fentanyl maintains a concern as national overdose average rises

MISSOULA, Mont. — Nationwide the average deaths per year for overdose has risen. Right now its stands at around 107,000 people for the past year, which is a concern for the local population.

“Missoula has followed the trends in overdoses, we have anecdotally seen increases over the past several years,” said Lt. Matt Stonesifer with Missoula Police.

“One of the reasons its so popular right now is its so addictive and very inexpensive its cheap than the other stuff,” said Recovery Center Missoula program director, Patrick Ryan.

The driving factor behind it all is fentanyl which has made its way into Montana. Officials say that there is a concern around its prevalence as overdose is one of the leading causes of deaths nationally.

“It's a powerful synthetic and something that arrived on scene in Montana in a new way several years ago,” said Stonesifer.

But before people reach the overdose point, Recovery Center Missoula says that's where treatment comes in.

“By the time people get to us they are really in need of our services,” said Ryan. “There are a lot of different paths to recovery, but I know treatment can be a very strong component of that, and it's not a cure we are a very short-term high intensity program, where after people start here it's likely going to take many years, I mean it will be a lifelong thing someone is engaged for our about a year.”

The programs have been seeing an increase in people due to the fentanyl increase. The drug which is much more addictive and powerful brings people into the facility. This influx is increasing the need for more treatment centers and hope for more funding.

“I think the more we dive into this we realize that we just need more resources to be able to treat people,” said Ryan. “We need more assistance; we need more funding to be able to have a longer-term treatment experience to really help them out each step of the way.”

Ryan notes that this is an important issue not to ignore because it touches all aspects of the community, from law enforcement to kids.

“It's not something you can say oh that’s somebody else's problem it's not our community and our state and really it's the country,” said Ryan.

Paying close attention to the state legislature will be a part of the solution to see if more funding heads this direction. In terms of local law enforcement, the Missoula Police department has various training for opioid use and identification.

Most recently the department has partnered with various other locations to learn more about drug prevalence. In the meantime, if the public suspects drug use or seeks treatment they are always encouraged to call treatment centers for help and steps on how to get started in recovery.