Today the JAMA published a letter that mentions the over 70,000 deaths related to overdoses in 2019 and the approximately 50% in overdoses in 2020. This is exactly what I feared would happen during the pandemic. People in our communities are in crisis, they are struggling emotionally, fiscally, and physically. The hierarchy of needs has shifted dramatically for many people and they need access to services and support that are unavailable because of the pandemic. I am not able to check in with patrons and families in recovery or offer a space where if they were to overdose someone is around to get them help. When I was working for an elder service agency providing social services to homebound seniors we would always get an increase in calls for support or to report elder abuse or neglect around Thanksgiving and Christmas. For many of the seniors it was one of the few times a year when a family member, friend, or support agency would reach out.

As cases of COVID-19 increase once again I encourage you all to reach out to one another. To friends and family that you have not spoken to in a while. Please keep communicating and encourage them to communicate. If you think someone is struggling do not pretend to not notice or think that they will figure it out. As librarians we may not have buildings to visit but we have the ability to provide them access to resources that they need. It could be the number of some hotlines, online support groups or it could be a call to the local police if you think they are in immediate danger to themselves or someone else.

I am beginning to work on ways to reach out virtually (realizing this means that only part of my community will be reached) to make sure that our community knows that help is available and to pull together resources for families and friends that do discover someone they love that needs help before it is to late. I encourage you to think of ways to reach out to your community as well.

Please share your experiences in the comments below.