Pubdate: Fri, 04 Apr 2014
Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY)
Copyright: 2014 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.democratandchronicle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/614
Author: David Andreatta, ROC
Note: Includes reporting by staff writer Donyelle Davis.

UR ASKS STUDENT HEROIN USERS TO GET HELP

In the wake of the death of a University of Rochester student that has
gripped the campus and underscored the dangers of heroin, the
university's president on Friday implored students who may be using
drugs to seek treatment.

In a written statement issued to students and staff, Joel Seligman
cited a recent university survey that found a small number of
undergraduates have used heroin and urged them to "please get help."

"I want to make a special plea to the students, faculty, staff and
others in our community with regard to heroin," Seligman said. "Heroin
has killed. In too many cases, heroin has been adulterated in
unpredictable ways whose baneful effects the user cannot anticipate.
Please get help."

His comments follow a rash of fatal heroin overdoses in the Rochester
region and the death of Juliette Richard, a university freshman who
was found dead in her dormitory at Hoeing Hall on March 29.

Investigators with the Rochester Police Department and the Monroe
County Medical Examiner's Office have not attributed Richard's death
to drug use, although students and published reports have speculated
that heroin played a role.

In carefully crafted remarks, Seligman referred to Richard, of Bolton,
Mass., by name and cited "rumors about heroin use," but said it would
be inappropriate to reach any conclusions about her death until
investigators reveal a cause.

A University of Rochester spokeswoman declined to release the
university survey on heroin use, but described its findings as
"broadly reflective" of the results of a 2013 American College Health
Association poll.

That poll found that 0.4 percent of college students used heroin in
the last nine days. The poll also suggested that students perceive the
drug to be more ubiquitous than it is, with more than one in five
believing that their peers used heroin in the previous nine days.

Seligman's comments coincided with an announcement out of Albany that
a Senate task force on heroin addiction would hold a series of 12
public hearings on the matter. The first is scheduled for April 8 at
Suffolk County Community College on Long Island.

More: Addicts who want help face insurance denials

Consequences: Heroin's rising tide crushes families

An abundance of cheap and impure heroin across the Rochester region
led to a sharp rise in deadly overdoses last year, with fatalities
surging fivefold since 2011, according to data recently released by
the Medical Examiner's Office.

The statistics and anecdotal evidence suggest that users are trending
younger than ever, lured by street prices that range from $6 to $10
per hit and a more intense high than that offered by costly and less
accessible prescription opioid painkillers, like Oxycontin and Vicodin.

Greater Rochester saw 65 heroin overdoses last year, compared to 28 a
year earlier and 11 in 2011. The sharp rise reflects a troubling
national trend that health care and drug treatment specialists say
stems from a prescription painkiller epidemic among mostly suburban
and rural youths.

University of Rochester students and faculty packed the campus chapel
Thursday to mourn Richard, whom friends recalled as "selfless."

"As soon as you met Juliette, you knew how beautiful and wild she
was," said fellow student Amanda Van Auken before a candle-lit altar
dedicated to Richard. "Even though she was always fun, it took
spending more time with her to realize how deeply she cared about
others and how shockingly unselfish she was."

Includes reporting by staff writer Donyelle Davis.
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