McClements: Safer supply can save lives in Delaware

'Safer supply services can help prevent overdoses, save lives, and connect people who use drugs to other health and social services.'”

Jordan McClements is a writer, composition/literature instructor and recovering heroin survivor, as well as a Master of Fine Arts student at Columbia College Chicago. He resides in Felton.

Since I started using heroin at Delaware State University in 2016, over 3,000 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.

Numbers don’t lie:

• In 2023, 457 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2022, 537 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2021, 514 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2020, 447 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2019, 435 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose. My cousin was one of them.
• In 2018, 401 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2017, 338 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.
• In 2016, 282 Delawareans stopped breathing forever because of overdose.

Safer supply saves lives, Delaware.

According to the government of Canada:

“Safer supply refers to providing prescribed medications as a safer alternative to the toxic illegal drug supply to people who are at high risk of overdose. Safer supply services can help prevent overdoses, save lives, and connect people who use drugs to other health and social services.

“While the evidence base for safer supply services is still developing, early research findings are promising and show that these services are associated with:

• Lower rates of overdose and individual overdose risk.
• Reductions in the use of fentanyl and other street-acquired substances.
• Reduced hospital admissions and emergency room visits.
• Improved connections to general medical care.
• Improved connections to housing and social supports.
• Improved connections to care and treatment for people who have not had support services in the past.
• Decreased criminal activity.
• Reduced infections.
• Overall improvements in health and social wellbeing.”

What is an example of safer supply?

Per “Impact of Safer Supply Programs on Injection Practices: Client and Provider Experiences in Ontario, Canada” in the Harm Reduction Journal:

“We identified three themes, each theme corresponding to a change in injection practices. The first change was a decrease in the amount of fentanyl used and a decrease in injection frequency. The second change involved switching to injecting hydromorphone tablets instead of fentanyl. Finally, the third change was stopping injecting altogether and taking safer supply medications orally.”

According to “Safer Opioid Supply: Qualitative Program Evaluation” in the Harm Reduction Journal:

“In this paper, we reported on the findings from interviews and surveys completed with 30 persons in Ottawa, Canada about their experiences participating in a SS (safer supply) program. Overall, we found that participants reported improvements to their safety and well-being since joining SS, such as improved mental health, reductions in criminalized behavior, decreased overdose events, and reduced illicit drug use.”

If the state of Delaware calls itself the First State, be the first state in saving lives with safer supply.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.