Community workgroup appointed to solve Somerville drug problem

Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone established a task force last week to combat the rising OxyContin abuse problem in the city.

Since the start of 2004, 14 Somerville residents have been hospitalized for drug overdoses, many of which have been attributed to abuse of the painkiller OxyContin. In a press release issued last Tuesday, Curtatone called this number a "call to arms."

According to Curtatone spokesperson Lucy Warsh, the task force will urge more aggressive policing of dealers in the city, make counseling more accessible for abusers, and attempt to educate youth about the dangers of OxyContin abuse.

"One of the main goals of the workgroup is to create more community awareness around the issue," she said.

The task force held its first meeting on Feb. 9. Curtatone, other city officials, Somerville police officers, representatives from several community health groups like the Cambridge Health Alliance, and two community residents are among its 29 members. "There is a broad range of expertise represented," Warsh said.

Director of the Alcohol and Drug Program at Tufts Health Services Margot Abels said she approves of the city's approach to OxyContin abuse. "It seems like they're trying to align themselves with what the research says, which emphasizes a multi-pronged approach," she said.

Rather than focusing solely on the "judicial" aspect of hospitalization and detoxification of abusers, Somerville is "coupling [treatment] with community involvement," Abels said. The city seems, she added, to be "covering all its bases."

The task force is seen by some to be partly a political move for a mayor already steeped in difficulties. "I think if you took polls around the city, everyone will know someone else who has been affected by OxyContin," Warsh said. "This can really only have a positive political impact for the mayor."

Director of the Somerville Health Department Jack Vondras said the task force may prove to be a turning point in how the city treats other drug-related issues. "We have to try to collect data differently," he said. This may prevent future social problems from growing to the proportions of OxyContin abuse.

However, state budget cuts may make funding this project difficult. Vondras said that with any new board, it is sometimes hard to decide from which part of the city budget the money should come.

According to Vondras, the city is looking to "see how we can use our dollars better, and we will also try to get some advocacy from outside. That is absolutely crucial."

Task force member Beth Frasier, the Director of CASPAR Youth Services -- a non-profit organization to help children and adolescents affected by drug and alcohol abuse -- said it is necessary to spend money on drug abuse prevention in order to ensure the health of the entire community.

"Investing in creating an atmosphere in which young people can grow up to be healthy is imperative to creating a healthy community," she said.

Frasier agreed with Warsh that although it is too early to tell where the task force is headed, it has massive potential. "The worst case scenario is we wouldn't solve any major problems," Warsh said. "But it would still be a step in the right direction."

The OxyContin task force was created in conjunction with a task force on teen suicide, another problem in the city. Somerville's suicide attempt rate is almost twice the national average.