12/30/2020
Milwaukee area drug overdose deaths rise amid coronavirus pandemic
'The perfect storm': Drug overdose
deaths hit record-breaking numbers in
the Milwaukee area during the
coronavirus pandemic Evan Casey Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published 10:51 a.m. CT Dec. 29, 2020 Updated 11:07 a.m. CT Dec. 29, 2020
Matt started popping pills at 23.
Now 28, he's been sober for two years. It wasn't easy. It's an uphill battle and a daily struggle — even now.
"This year's been kind of hard, with keeping myself occupied, trying to keep myself busy and not getting into situations where I know something could possibly come up," he said.
Matt, who asked that his last name not be used for this story, lives in Mequon and works in Brookfield.
He doesn't see many people these days. He goes to work. He comes home. But he has a support system.
Many others don't.
"I know plenty of other people who ... were possibly thinking of getting help and getting clean," Matt said. "That all kind of just went out the window (this year)."
Matt, who is receiving treatment at a mental health and addiction center, wasn't a statistic this year. But many others were.
A record number of people died of drug overdoses in Waukesha and Milwaukee County in 2020, as experts say the coronavirus pandemic has created troublesome conditions for
individuals who struggle with substance abuse.
"It's the perfect storm," said Dr. Selahattin Kurter, the executive director of West Grove clinic, where Matt receives treatment. "We're seeing isolation, loneliness, depression. Combine that with an underlying substance abuse problem, and now you have all the right combinations for death."
In Milwaukee County, 473 people had died of drug overdoses in 2020, as of Dec. 29. This is the highest number on record for the county, substantially outpacing the previous high of 418 overdose deaths in 2019.
In Waukesha County, 54 people had died of a drug overdose as of Dec. 21, the most recent number available. There are 28 more cases that will likely be categorized as drug deaths when finalized, according to the county.
In 2017, Waukesha County recorded a record high of 75 drug overdose deaths. But if this year's additional 28 cases are categorized as drug overdose deaths, 2020 will break that record. More numbers on overdose deaths will be made available there in 2021.
And, as of Dec. 13, 17 people had died of a drug overdose in Ozaukee County in 2020. More up-to-date numbers were not available there.
"It touches every level of community and society and age and s*x. No group is protected," said Dr. Brian Peterson, the chief medical examiner for Milwaukee County.
Even as overdose death numbers have increased in recent years, 2020 was historic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 81,000 people
died nationwide of drug overdoses between June 2019 and May 2020. That's a record for a 12-month period. The largest increase was recorded from March to May, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Wisconsin, 6,233 deaths between 2014 to 2019 were due to drug overdoses, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. In 2019, 71,108 people died of drug overdoses in the United States. When national data becomes available for 2020, that number will likely be higher.
"Unfortunately, it's easier to find drugs than it is to find treatment," said Amy Molinski, a peer support specialist for Community Medical Services, which has locations in West Allis and South Milwaukee.
A rapid shift
And COVID-19 didn't help with this cause.
When the pandemic struck in March, some support groups and therapy sessions for those who suffer with mental health issues paused or went virtual.
Dr. Brittany Busse, associate medical director at WorkCare and a mental health expert, has done several virtual webinars to discuss mental health issues during the pandemic.
She said many people began to feel a huge loss of connection this year and, as the year progressed, more people have struggled with how to deal with the stress they're feeling related to the pandemic.
"We're used to little incremental changes over time," Busse said. "But when you have a large, rapid shift like this, it puts a really huge amount of stress on people."
As stress levels escalate, some people revert back to using the emotional centers of their brain.
"And that's fueled by a lot of fear, a lot of anger, a lot of sadness," Busse said.
The brain then starts to look for ways that it's coped in the past. "And it will start bringing forward those kind of coping mechanisms that may be harmful," Busse explained.
This is worrisome for individuals who have previously abused substances, as sustained use over time prompts our bodies to adapt to increasing doses.
"And what they don't understand is their body can't take the old level," Busse said.
"That will automatically result in an overdose, because their body is no longer used to that amount."
John Kettler, the integrated services coordinator for the Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services, said there were increased "stressors" related to finances,
family care and the fear of the COVID-19 virus in 2020. He said this could have increased the desires of some to use substances.
Amy Lorenz, the deputy administrator for Milwaukee County Community Access to Recovery Services, also said there's been an increase in alcohol and drug consumption amid the pandemic. She called the increase in overdose deaths a "tragedy."
"This, coupled with more people dealing with grief, trauma, loss and social isolation, has led to increases in overdose deaths," Lorenz said.
In Milwaukee County, 2020 brought increases over 2019 in homicides, motor vehicle fatalities and drug overdose deaths.
The majority of bodies seen by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office are linked to drug overdoses.
"It’s beating us up, and it’s beating our laboratory up, that’s for sure," Peterson said.
"As far as overdoses go, it's just every day," he added. "We're all just tired, all the time. It just does not slow down."
Peterson said he believes the high number of overdose deaths will continue into 2021. "I don't see any end in sight to this," he said.
Treatment, resources for those suffering
Kurter is board certified in addiction medicine and has been working with those who suffer from addiction in the Milwaukee area for more than a decade.
He treats those who are suffering from substance use disorders through medication- assisted treatment and therapy.
When people stop using opioids, they experience severe withdrawal. Prescribed medications can help an individual deal with that withdrawal. It can also help them work through counseling and other treatment.
Kurter said a lot of the drugs and opioids many take now are more potent compared to when users might have used them last.
Peterson concurred. He said fentanyl was a major factor in most of the overdose deaths this year in Milwaukee County. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Kurter's clinic and many other treatment centers in the area have kept their doors open this year, as drug treatment programs and facilities were considered essential businesses under Gov. Tony Evers' safer-at-home order that was issued in March.
When Community Medical Services opened in West Allis in 2019, it was Wisconsin’s first 24-hour medication-assisted treatment facility.
CMS has close to 1,000 active clients at that location alone, Molinski said. Many clients come in daily.
When a new client comes in, they start with weekly counseling. They also receive peer support.
Molinski said she's seen the pandemic affect the opioid epidemic in both a positive and negative way.
For some people, the increased loneliness and isolation has encouraged them to come in for treatment.
But for others, the fear associated with the virus has driven them away, Molinski said. She said she believes the opposite of addiction is connection.
"It takes a huge level of commitment and these are individuals that really want to get sober and do what is needed," she said.
Michelle Jaskulski of Cudahy is the outreach director for Addiction Policy Forum,
a Washington, D.C.-based national nonprofit focused on eliminating addiction as a major health problem.
Jaskulski, who is also a mother of two children who have received treatment for opioid addiction, shares her experiences with others who have similar experiences.
She and her husband run a family support group in the Milwaukee area. But the group has gone virtual because of safety concerns related to the coronavirus.
"It's nice to be able to talk to them, but it doesn't feel the same as in person," Jaskulski said. "It doesn't have that same level of emotional connection."
Program in West Allis is crucial
Armando Suarez Del Real and A.J. Ottow are both in the Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program in West Allis.
When there's a nonfatal overdose in West Allis, members will go to the person's home within 24 to 48 hours of the overdose with a peer support specialist from CMS, as part of the program.
They'll ask that person if they have any immediate needs. They'll provide supplies if needed. And if that person is willing to get recovery services, they'll take them right away.
In West Allis, nonfatal overdoses are down 30% in 2020, compared to 2019.
Suarez Del Real, a captain with the West Allis Fire Department, is the program coordinator. He said he thinks the decline is due to the program.
"I don't want to mince words: people are dying. And that's why this is urgent," Suarez Del Real said. "That's why this is something we're taking seriously, because young people who have their whole lives ahead of them are dying, and that's just unacceptable for us."
The solution
Experts say more community awareness about overdoses and more education on mental health issues will help.
"That's critical. Everyone needs to know that this is a problem," Kurter said.
He added it's important to "destigmatize" and "decriminalize" those who have substance use disorders.
But many agree that more funding for treatment is needed.
Amanda Maria Rodriguez, the community programs and integration manager for CMS, said not enough people can afford treatment.
"There needs to be more funding given to folks so they don't have the burden that 'I'm going in to some place, and I'm already going in with debt,'" she said.
Kurter also said not enough insurance providers offer medication-assisted treatment and other treatment services.
In Milwaukee County, the behavioral health division has used CARES Act funding in 2020 to increase prevention services, both for substance use and su***de. It also received State Opioid Response funds to help prioritize the needs of those with opioid use disorders and allow them to gain access to residential treatment faster, according to Lorenz.
Waukesha County has also recently been awarded grant funding to expand services across several initiatives that target op**te users, stimulant users and people who inject drugs, according to Linda Wickstrom, public information officer for the Waukesha County Department of Health & Human Services.
The Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Volunteers of Waukesha County, a group that visits area facilities to talk to those who are in recovery, also expanded its services to include individual and phone-based support options amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Do you need help?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 800-662- HELP (4357).
Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter .
