FALL RIVER — Three people died of apparent overdoses in the city during the first four days of the month, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said Friday, prompting concern from city officials who say they’re reviewing addiction services.
The individuals are a 33-year-old man from Fall River, a 20-year-old homeless woman with ties to Westport and a 36-year-old Fall River woman, according to Gregg Miliote, spokesman for DA Thomas Quinn III.
Mayor Paul Coogan plans to “refocus” how city agencies and departments respond to the needs of those affected by substance use disorder, according to a statement his administration released Friday in response to the recent deaths that acknowledged “the ripple effect that tragedies such as these have on our community.”
“Substance use disorder is a disease that can be treated and recovery is possible,” the statement continued. “We urge all residents and families impacted to seek the support services they need.”
The first of the three individuals who died of a suspected overdose in Fall River this past week was a 33-year-old man who Miliote said had a history of substance use disorder. He was found unresponsive by his mother on the rear deck of a Kelly Drive home and was pronounced dead at the home.
Authorities found drug paraphernalia and glassine baggies with “white powdery substances” in the man's bedroom, the spokesman said.
Three days later, the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 4, Fall River police were called to a Walker Street residence, where a 20-year-old homeless woman with ties to Westport was found unresponsive on a bed, Miliote said.
First responders administered naloxone, the opioid-overdose antidote, and took efforts to resuscitate the woman before she was rushed to Saint Anne’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the DA’s office. Drug paraphernalia and a needle were located near her body.
Just two hours later, after noon on Tuesday, a Chicago Street resident called police because her roommate was unresponsive in her bedroom, Miliote said. First responders administered naloxone to a 36-year-old woman and took other measures to save her life, but she was pronounced dead shortly after being rushed to Saint Anne’s Hospital.
Miliote said the 36-year-old Fall River woman had a long history of using heroin. Her roommate told authorities that the woman appeared to have used heroin when she came home the night before.
The official cause of death of all three individuals will be determined by autopsies and include toxicology exams by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The opioid-overdose antidote naloxone is available free of charge at Seven Hills Behavioral Health, 356 South Main Street, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Seven Hills can be reached at 508-235-1012. Naloxone is free with insurance at local pharmacies, according to Friday’s statement.
More information is available by contacting Director of Health and Human Services Tess Curran at 508-324-2410.
Email Amanda Burke at aburke@heraldnews.com.