Franklin County's drop in overdoses in 2017 is progress, but not 'success'

FRANKLIN COUNTY - With the coming of a new year, the thought came to Lindsay Walls: "It's no longer the year my brother died. Now I have to say my brother died last year."

Walls' brother, Marc Brumbaugh, died at age 27 in April from a fentanyl overdose in Waynesboro. Brumbaugh was one of 35 Franklin County residents who died from a confirmed or suspected heroin, fentanyl or other opioid-related overdose in 2017.

The holidays were hard for her family. 

Before his death Brumbaugh and his family were open about his battle with addiction. The family thinks it started when he suffered a wrestling injury in high school and needed pain medication. For more than 10 years after, he struggled.

"The funny thing is, he was always there," Walls said. "It didn't matter, somehow it worked out. If he was in jail, he'd get out right before Thanksgiving. If he was in rehab, he was home for the holidays."

The family decided to have a non-traditional Thanksgiving, but Walls never made it due to her kids being sick.

"We just kinda skipped it," Walls said. "I didn't want the holidays to look anything like they had looked like in the past."

Another lost tradition: a family picture of all the siblings and the parents, every year.

"And I can't do that anymore; there's a hole, an empty chair," Walls said. "It's not filled."

Fatalities decline

Thirty-five people died of fatal overdoses in Franklin County last year, down from 46 in 2016, which was the peak for fatal overdoses in the county, nearly doubling 2015's total of 24 fatalities.

More:Overdose deaths nearly double in Franklin County

Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner said he believes the decrease is because of progress in four areas: naloxone saving lives, arrests made in drug cases, education and rehabilitation.

District Attorney Matt Fogal said law enforcement officers in the county used naloxone 43 times in 2017, with the last reported use on Dec. 23. Forty attempts successfully reversed an overdose. Three did not.

In 2017, Chambersburg Hospital either administered or restocked EMS and local law enforcement with 295 doses of naloxone, according to data provided by Summit Health. Waynesboro hospital issued 150 doses.

In 2016, Summit reported that Chambersburg Hospital issued 275 doses between January and October of that year. Figures weren't available for November and December.

Both 2017 and 2016 saw significant jumps from 2015, during which 210 doses were issued either in the emergency room or to EMS. Law enforcement officers did not receive naloxone at the time. 

Lifesaving efforts

Naloxone is saving lives, Fogal and Conner agree. But other factors also are playing a role in people surviving their addictions, according to Fogal.

"Personally, I suspect that people may now feel more comfortable and less embarrassed to intervene earlier in seeking effective and appropriate levels of treatment," Fogal said. "That is likely not the only reason for the drop in numbers, but I think it is part of the story."

Investigations of fatal overdoses have led to several arrests in the last few years. Walls and her family are still waiting to see if something will come of their case, but they remain hopeful.

The family also wanted to help spread awareness about the crisis, and was instrumental in arranging for former Boston Celtic Chris Herren to speak at Chambersburg Area Senior High School in the fall about his battle with addiction. 

More:NBA player who lost career to drugs will share his story in Chambersburg

Brumbaugh had wanted to tell his own story.

His efforts included a video his friend shot, the start of a planned series, Walls said. Brumbaugh died before the series could be completed. Walls said she still listens to the video, just to hear his voice.

"In doing that, he was already standing up against the stigma. 'This is me, these are my flaws. I don't want this to be your story too,'" Walls said. 

These days, Walls is pondering how to help families who lost loved ones to addiction. She's found that there isn't much support for those grieving, either in Martinsburg, West Virigina, where she now lives, or in her hometown of Waynesboro.

Franklin County's Overdose Task Force approached the crisis from several angles. Fogal cited many of these programs during a press conference Friday, celebrating the successes and introducing the new "Get Back Up" program.

More:Program offers addicts help, not criminal charges

"We have clearly focused on this crisis from all aspects, in law enforcement and through the work of the Overdose Task Force, and that hard work will continue," Fogal said. 

Fogal stressed that he does not see the medical community as a villain in the fight, as medical professionals have done much to help over the past year.

"They are not the problem," Fogal said. "The villains are the big pharmaceutical companies."

Through everyone's hard work, progress is being made, but Fogal won't say the crisis is over.

"The data from 2017 may be fairly characterized as positive in comparison to 2016, or in comparison to other counties or regions, but I don’t necessarily characterize it as a 'success,'" Fogal said. "It is somewhat encouraging and puts some wind in the sails as we continue to fight and scratch and claw our way out of this crisis, but there is still much more work to be done."

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762