While the number of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts fell by 8% from 2016 to 2017, nearly 2,000 people dies from overdoses last year. A recent opioid overdose increase (in both fatal and non-fatal cases) in western Massachusetts prompted health officials at Baystate Medical Center to alert the police.
Sounding the alarm on this issue led to the arrest of three people allegedly involved in a local distribution ring responsible for uptick in overdose. Carolee McGrath sat down with Baystate Medical Center Chief of Pre-hospital Disaster Medicine Dr. Gerald Beltran, Chief Research Office and Addiction Specialist Dr. Peter Friendmann, and Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, to learn more about this case and the lethal batch of heroin blamed for the deaths of three people.
