Unions join effort to establish overdose prevention centers
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Prescription opioids
A coalition pressing for creation of overdose prevention centers in Massachusetts won the backing of three unions Thursday, touting the additions as a sign of growing support for the controversial but potentially life-saving idea.
The Mass. for Overdose Prevention Centers Coalition, or MA4OPC, announced that 1199SEIU, SEIU Local 509, and the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare all endorsed the policy push.
"Every overdose death is preventable, and overdose prevention centers are a commonsense, evidence-based tool we can use to save those who are struggling," 1199SEIU Executive Vice President Tim Foley said. "By establishing overdose prevention centers, we can save thousands of lives in Massachusetts every year and connect them with health care providers and their community."
The three unions together represent more than 100,000 Bay State employees, some of whom work in health care on the front lines of responding to the opioid epidemic, according to the coalition.
MA4OPC already counts several major medical and advocacy groups among its more than two dozen members, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Mass. Public Health Association and the ACLU of Massachusetts.
Activists have been pushing unsuccessfully for years for Massachusetts to embrace overdose prevention sites -- sometimes known as supervised injection sites -- where individuals can use pre-acquired drugs under the watch of medical supervision, who can intervene to prevent fatal complications.
The idea has gained some momentum, especially after the Department of Public Health in December endorsed the proposed sites as "lifelines" to mitigate the thousands of fatal overdoses in Massachusetts every year.
However, opponents continue to voice concerns that overdose prevention sites would run afoul of federal law or encourage additional drug use.
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