UVM Medical Center reports overnight overdose spike

BURLINGTON — The University of Vermont Medical Center admitted seven patients to the emergency room who had overdosed in a 24-hour period Thursday night and Friday morning.

Eileen Whalen, the hospital’s president, said at a press conference Friday, that on a typically busy night for the emergency department “there may be one or two overdoses, so this was of great concern and great alarm.”

While none of the drug overdoses were fatal, the sudden increase has alarmed medical providers and state officials about the opiate epidemic in Vermont. In addition to the seven cases at the UVM Medical Center in a 24-hour period, there have been at least four other overdoses in Chittenden County over the past few days.

There were 107 opioid-related fatalities in the state in 2017, according to data from the state department of health. Vermont’s rate of fatal drug overdoses ranks 22nd in the country.

Whalen said she could not discuss the status of the patients, and encouraged those using drugs to seek help through the hospital’s partners, the Howard Center and the Community Health Centers of Burlington.

“There is no such thing as a safe batch of heroin,” she said. “This uptick in overdoses is all too familiar nationally and even locally.”

Mark Levine, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, said Friday that the patients who overdosed reported using a white powder. At least one reported overdosing on black powder, which could have been Black Tar Heroin.

Black Tar Heroin is rare in Vermont and is as dangerous as white powder heroin, Levine said.

“It may have a potency they are just not used to,” he said.

Presence of Black Tar Heroin in Vermont could be an indication that a new drug distribution network is operating in Vermont. The drug is more popular in other regions of the United States, Levine said.

The department is awaiting lab reports to see if fentanyl was involved in the overdoses, Levine said. He said the department was working with law enforcement to determine more information about the drugs which were used.

Whalen said the hospital could not share any additional information on how those who had overdosed had consumed the drugs.

Those in the community who overdosed but declined to go to the emergency room were revived using Naloxone, which would suggest that the drugs used were opioids, Levine said.

Levine said that drug users can mitigate risk by assuming that all street drugs include fentanyl. There were more than 100 overdose deaths in the state last year, Levine said, and about 80 percent were attributed to fentanyl.

“You just don’t know what is in the powder you have just bought or how potent it is,” he said. “So assume it could be lethal to keep yourself safe.”

People who decide to use illicit drugs should use with a friend who could call for help if they overdose, Levine said. Additionally, they should not mix with other drugs and limit the amount used.

While advocates have pushed for the state to establish safe injection sites — locations where drug users can inject under supervision — Gov. Phil Scott’s Opioid Coordination Council found that the sites were “not a viable option” in the state.

The overdose spike today would not change the state’s opinion on safe injection sites, Levine said.

Whalen said that the state has taken steps to address the opioid crisis, including working to integrate treatment into a primary care model, launching treatment on demand throughout the state and collaborating with community partners.

Levine said those who are seeking help can find more resources on the Department of Health’s website.