A nonprofit group shaped to stop drug overdoses within the Roaring Fork Valley area is struggling to outlive a funding disaster proper when its sources are wanted most.
Excessive Rockies Hurt Discount gives NARCAN and educates individuals on learn how to use medication used to reverse opioid drug overdoses, and it additionally gives clear needles and safely disposes of used ones. It gives particular strips for drug customers to check for the presence of fentanyl, a robust artificial drug that taints all the pieces from cocaine to ache tablets and infrequently proves lethal.
Excessive Rockies Hurt Discount founder and government director Maggie Seldeen has labored with different drug counseling providers within the area and noticed a necessity for a specialty service. In August she began what she calls a one-stop store for a wide range of providers. HRHR additionally gives peer-to-peer help for drug addicts and their households. She helps individuals discover the providers they want by offering common hours in Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and Rifle.
Legislation enforcement and medical officers had been witnessing growing numbers of overdoses within the Roaring Fork and decrease Colorado River valleys even earlier than the COVID-19 disaster. The pandemic has exacerbated points similar to isolation, hopelessness and homelessness. That triggered additional will increase in drug overdoses nationally. There was an enormous response in hurt discount.
Seldeen stated the identical points which might be unfolding nationally are current regionally.
“There was completely a rise in use of all substances, together with alcohol,” she stated. “Speak to anybody who works in a liquor retailer all through the valley, and so they had been doing December gross sales numbers all through all 2020 after March.”
In Colorado, pharmaceuticals are nonetheless liable for extra overdoses than some other drug. The harm from fentanyl is gaining.
“We skilled within the state an enormous enhance in fentanyl overdoses in 2020,” Seldeen stated. “In 2019, there have been 220 fentanyl overdoses throughout the state, and in 2020 there have been 540.”
Garfield County’s overdose deaths elevated from 10 in 2019 to 11 in 2020. Pitkin County went from “non-recordable information” in 2019, which meant none or one overdose loss of life, to 5 in 2020. Eagle County noticed a decline in reported overdoses.
Nonetheless, the deaths don’t inform the entire story. It excludes nonfatal overdoses and circumstances the place there are “reversals” — when individuals experiencing overdoses are saved by use of NARCAN or different means.
“That is actually simply the tip of the iceberg, as a result of we all know we’re not getting the complete image of overdoses or illicit exercise,” Seldeen stated. “It’s very tough to get precise numbers.”
In Basalt, Excessive Rockies Hurt Discount gives providers each different Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. within the workplace of MidValley Household Observe. Lots of its purchasers are referrals from the clinic’s drug counseling service.
In Carbondale, Seldeen has an workplace on the nonprofit advanced The Third Avenue Middle.
“I’m actually three homes down from the home my mom overdosed and died in,” she stated. “And I’ve misplaced a variety of different individuals.”
The “Who We Are” web page on HRHR’s webpage tells Seldeen’s story in blunt phrases. Whereas rising up within the Roaring Fork Valley, she grew to become an injection drug person at age 15. Her mom was a heroin addict and died whereas Maggie was nonetheless an adolescent.
“Maggie struggled along with her personal addictions for a few years and now seeks to present again to the neighborhood that created her,” her profile says on the web site, HighRockiesHarmReduction.com.
Seldeen, 31, places an exclamation level on the subject in an interview.
“I actually come from a spot of wanting to present again to this neighborhood and guarantee that the experiences that I had don’t occur to youth in our neighborhood,” she stated. “I do know that these issues exist. I do know that individuals are struggling in our valley. I do know that not everybody within the valley is a millionaire, and extra now than ever earlier than so many people are struggling simply to remain right here. That wrestle and stress simply leads to make use of.”
She’s giving again by means of free, nonjudgmental providers, and he or she hopes to proceed for a big time. She is aware of the providers are desperately wanted. She wants to seek out the cash to maintain offering them. HRHR acquired a grant from the Colorado Well being Basis that can renew in June, and it acquired a small grant from the city of Carbondale. Seldeen wants extra funding sources.
““We’re ready the place we utilized for lots of funding, thought it was going to come back by means of, it didn’t come by means of, so we’re not in a great place financially,” she stated.
The grant purposes obtain excessive scores, however the rewarding organizations say the wants are so nice proper now due to COVID-19-related issues. They received’t manage to pay for to go round.
HRHR will cut back from two staffers to simply Seldeen part-time.
“The COVID panorama has actually simply rattled the well being fields basically,” Seldeen stated. “We’re a brand new nonprofit, and we’re really in a dire funding scenario proper now.”