Upcoming vigil to remember victims of overdose, substance abuse. What to know about it

QUINCY ‒ On a large screen outside city hall, the names and faces of lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, parents and loved ones will appear one after the other for a solid 30 minutes. The annual presentation drives home the scope and deep local impact of the ongoing opioid epidemic, which has claimed the lives of well over half-million Americans since the turn of the century.

Quincy's 14th candlelight vigil in memory of those from Quincy and surrounding towns lost to overdose and substance use disorder takes place Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. on the Hancock Adams Common.

Speakers will read poems about loss and remembrance in between songs performed by an a cappella group consisting of people in recovery, said organizer Laura Martin , the city's substance use prevention coordinator.

'I see hope.' Laura Martin's lifelong devotion to solving the epidemic

In 2004, Martin lost her brother, Danny, to an overdose. Since then, her legal training, experience as a prosecutor and now 8-year tenure directing Quincy's fight against substance abuse disorder has kept her on the front lines in the battle to save lives and control the epidemic.

"It's a hard, heavy job," Martin said. "You don't wish understanding on anyone. But if you understand, it's hard not to be a part of sharing that."

As the crisis persists, Martin stressed the importance of keeping the issue in the forefront of public discussion, especially the acknowledgement that substance use disorder is a disease like any other requiring treatment rather than stigmatizing.

Despite the numbers, Martin said she remains optimistic.

"There is hope," she said. "I know there's hope. I see thousands of success stories over the years."

Hopeful for the future, Martin also knows first-hand the need to comfort the family members who have lost loved ones to the disease, which is the primary goal of Wednesday's vigil, where she said she will distribute grief support pamphlets to those in attendance.

'I don't see it getting better.' Quincy police chief describes new challenges in decades-old crisis

One the hand, Police Chief Mark Kennedy can point to positive trends in the fight against opioid addiction. Officers not only carry the overdose reversal medication, Narcan, they distribute the lifesaving nasal spray to people released from their custody who also struggle with addiction, Kennedy said.

In 2023, Quincy police officers reversed 74 overdoses and another 36 through the first seven months of 2024. EMTs and civilians equipped with Narcan have administered more doses, saving more lives.

"We're fortunate now more people carry Narcan on the street," Kennedy said. "Often, they'll already have a dose in by the time we get there. ... We're lucky the number of fatalities isn't higher, and I attribute that to the availability of Narcan."

But despite the increased presence of Narcan and more and better-funded recovery services, the number of fatalities and overdoses remains high in Quincy as elsewhere. Through July, Quincy has seen 110 overdoses, roughly on pace to match 2023's total of 192.

The 16 fatalities through July puts Quincy on pace to reach 28 by year's end, just two fewer than the total overdose deaths recorded in the city last year.

"The problem has changed," Kennedy said. "Now we also have the proliferation of pill press operations, taking fentanyl (the synthetic opioid up to 100 times more potent than heroin) and basically pressing pills to be made to look like pharmaceutical grade pills, an OxyContin or Percocet."

Adapting to the epidemic's changing landscape, the Quincy Police Department has signed on to the DEA's "one pill can kill" campaign, bringing the message of caution into the city's schools and social media networks, Kennedy said.

'Very few families have not been touched by this.' Mayor Koch reflects on epidemic

In an interview a week before the vigil, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said the opioid issue has shaped his thinking since before he took office in 2008.

"I didn't understand the depth of the issue until I started having coffee hours on the campaign trail (in 2007)," he said. "It was heartbreaking. Very few families have not been touched by this."

Koch described a Wollaston woman who broke down and while relating the story of her grandson, a laborer who fell into an OxyContin addiction after injuring his back at work. The young man died of an overdose, leaving a girlfriend and infant child behind, Koch said.

Once elected, Koch established a task force to bring together various professional working on the issue out of their silos, while also providing the resources and funding needed to make a dent.

The mayor also recounted his support for the Gavin Foundation , which established a 64-bed detox facility on Old Colony Avenue in 2015, despite local opposition.

"The auditorium at Central Middle School was jammed (for a community meeting on the issue)," Koch said. "... That was an election year for me. I stood there and told them we need this. It has to happen. I lost that precinct in the election. I don't care."

Vigil information

Where: The Hancock Adams Common outside Quincy City Hall in Quincy Center.

Time: From 7 p.m. to just after 8 p.m.

Rain location: Quincy High School Auditorium, 100 Coddington St.

Battery operated candles will be freely available onsite.

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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com .

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Upcoming vigil to remember victims of overdose, substance abuse. What to know about it