One year after welcoming addicts into his police station to help them find treatment, Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello has made some dramatic strides.
Approximately 450 people have been placed into treatment without police soliciting any information through the Angel Initiative, which began June 1 last year. Then there are the 300 treatment centers in over 30 states have agreed to take on these patients, even for those who cannot afford it.
Transportation companies have also hopped on the bandwagon, shuffling patients to various centers.
Additionally, 120 police departments in 28 states have followed suit, helping thousands more be placed into treatment without the threat of arrest.
“We started this in response to a community expecting this to stay right in our city,” Campanello said in an interview. “The fact that it has moved beyond (Gloucester) speaks to the pervasiveness of the disease, and makes us feel very responsible for continuing (to spread) the message.”
The number of addicts looking for help has steadily declined as other communities come on board. At the peak, Gloucester was putting 60-80 patients a month into treatment. Now, 20-30 people are seeking help through the police.
While Campanello said the focus for him isn’t on whether people are able to stay in recovery, he said BU Medical School is tracking statistics on who is completing treatment and staying sober. So far, there appears to be a better than average rate of recidivism for people that seek out police help.
Though information lags, Campanello said so far the overdose rates have also declined, going from five in the first six months of 2015, to only one confirmed overdose so far this year.
Yet there is work to do, especially with holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable for its addictive drugs.
Campanello said that trickle down effect of the industry’s painkillers, which has led many to use illicit drugs, borders on criminal culpability, given that the drugs are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the country.
“’Big pharma’ has an opportunity here, a fantastic business opportunity to become part of the solution, and every turn they ignore the problem and act with apathy and arrogance,” Campanello said.
In addition to bringing on the pharmaceutical industry to help addicts access treatment, Campanello also plans to bring his plan to law enforcement personnel in other states and the federal government.
“We’ll still hold accountable those who need to be, but we will look to expand a model that includes compassion, dignity and respect,” he said.
Jessica Bartlett covers health care, including hospitals, health IT, health policy and insurance, as well as the beer industry.