www.wbjournal.com • Worcester Business Journal • 2 020 Economic Forecast 27
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Prescription opioids were present in
13% of fatalities.
The Gov. Charlie Baker
Administration said it has doubled
spending to address the opioid crisis,
including adding more than 1,200 new
treatment beds.
Central Massachusetts hospitals
make up four of the top 10 statewide
for the highest rates of emergency
room visits attributable to opioids,
according to new Massachusetts
Health Policy Commission data.
More than 2% of emergency depart-
ment discharges were opioid-related
for the years 2016 and 2017 the com-
mission studied at Saint Vincent
Hospital in Worcester, UMass
Memorial Medical Center's Memorial
and University campuses in Worcester,
and HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital's
Leominster campus.
Those results give Central
Massachusetts an unfortunate distinc-
tion as the opioid crisis continues to
kill around 2,000 people each year in
Massachusetts. Other hospitals seeing
the highest rates of opioid-related
emergency room visits were Boston
Medical Center, North Shore Medical
Center Union Hospital in Lynn, and
Merrimack Valley Hospital in
Haverhill. Others are located in
Lowell, Brockton, Springfield and Fall
River.
MetroWest Medical Center -
Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick
landed third statewide for the highest
percent of opiod-related inpatient dis-
charges, at more than 10%. Saint
Vincent Hospital and UMass
Memorial's University Campus were
also in the top 15 statewide at more
than 5%.
UMass Memorial Health Care's facilities in Worcester, which is among the state's
leaders in righting the opioid epidemic
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