BARNSTABLE – Barnstable residents who recently suffered an opioid-related overdose may soon receive a visit from a police officer – but not for an arrest.
Barnstable Police Officer Jason Sturgis will be accompanied by a Gosnold Cape Cod representative to invite recent overdose victims into addiction treatment at Gosnold.
The outreach program began in March of 2015 and has spread to many Cape towns, including Barnstable’s neighbor Yarmouth.
According to Sturgis, Barnstable efforts alone have already broken through to about 8-10 individuals.
As is the case with most of these interactions, many of the approached individuals are hesitant to actually begin treatment on the spot and be driven to Gosnold, Sturgis said.
“The first reaction when someone sees a police officer at the door is something negative,” Sturgis said. “When we greet them, the first thing we tell them is that they’re not in trouble, this is a courtesy call, and we are here to help.”
The theory behind the service is that those who have most recently suffered an overdose are more likely to accept or pursue treatment, and Sturgis said that most of the people who intitially decline end up contacting Gosnold independently.
“It opens the door for them to get the treatment services when they’re ready,” he said. “It’s striking while the iron is hot.”
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