The opioid epidemic in Massachusetts didn’t let up in 2016 as State Police investigated 877 deaths suspected of being caused by the powerful drug, a 16 percent increase from the year before that authorities blamed on an influx of fentanyl.
“It provided maybe an extra boost in the effects of heroin. As a result it became popular with those who use heroin,’’ Colonel Richard D. McKeon, State Police superintendent, said Thursday in a phone interview. “We’ve seen them chasing fentanyl.’’
The synthetic painkiller is easily manufactured and can stretch heroin batches, cutting costs for dealers and traffickers, McKeon said.
Seventy-seven percent of the victims were men. On average, the victims were 37 years old, State Police said. The deaths accounted for more than 20 percent of the fatalities investigated last year by troopers, who handle death investigations in most communities.
They looked into 756 opioid overdose deaths in 2015.
The annual statistics don’t include the state’s largest cities, Boston, Worcester, Springfield, or the Berkshire County city of Pittsfield.
A more complete picture of the death toll is expected next month when state public health officials announce the number of opioid-related fatalities recorded during the last three months of 2016.
The state has previously said there were 1,005 deaths from opioids during the first nine months of last year. There were 1,574 confirmed opioid overdose fatalities in 2015 and 1,316 in 2014.
Joanne Peterson, executive director of Learn to Cope, a nonprofit support network for families, said deaths from opioid overdoses have climbed steadily over the last 12 years.
“I’ve never seen a year as bad as this past year,’’ said Peterson, who established the organization in 2004. “There are not many weeks where we aren’t dealing with a death.’’
In Boston, Emergency Medical Services summoned the state medical examiner to 57 suspected opioid overdoses between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 27, 2016, compared to 68 referrals the year before, city figures show.
But Jim Hooley, chief of the city’s Emergency Medical Services department, said the death toll in Boston was likely higher when the number of overdose patients who were transported to hospitals in cardiac arrest is taken into account. There were 58 such cases last year, up from 35 in 2015, and most of those patients die, he said.
Despite the fatalities, there were more than 2,700 cases last year in which overdose victims survived, Hooley said.
He credited the proliferation of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone for saving lives. The antidote was once only carried by emergency personnel, but now, Hooley said, private citizens have been trained to use it.
Worcester officials recorded 53 opioid overdose deaths last year, an increase from 43 in 2015, said Dr. Mattie Castiel, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Pittsfield police said last year there were 13 confirmed heroin fatalities and two or three other deaths in which the victim consumed opioids and other drugs. The city had 16 opioid overdose deaths the year before. Springfield officials didn’t have figures.
State Police said they are trying to fight the problem through partnerships with local officers and district attorneys in nine cities, including Brockton, Fall River, and Quincy.
The department also runs a task force that intercepts drugs being carried into Massachusetts in tractor-trailers or other vehicles. The group, which works extensively in the Lawrence area, also tracks drug money flowing south to cartels.
“We do interdict a lot of the drugs coming north,’’ said Lieutenant Colonel Dermot Quinn, commander of the State Police Division of Investigative Services.
Gang unit members focus on street-level drug crimes while other troopers seize drugs during traffic stops on highways, State Police said.
In Middlesex County, opioids have so far been linked to 168 of the 251 fatal drug overdoses recorded last year, said District Attorney Marian T. Ryan. There were 142 deaths from opioids in 2015, she said.
Though the number of fatalities increased, Ryan said there was a dip in deaths over the summer, marking the first decline since 2012. But the reasons for the decrease are unclear, she said.
“Obviously if we could, we would replicate what that was and try to bring the numbers down,’’ Ryan said.
When detectives investigate a suspected opioid fatality, Ryan said they try to reach the victim’s friends and associates in case they are also using drugs and might consider treatment.
Some other efforts include a program that spares people facing minor drug charges from accumulating a criminal record if they complete a treatment regimen, and mentoring for new mothers and pregnant women who abuse opioids, Ryan said.
One trend that disturbs Ryan is the rising number of deaths among women.
“It used to be 95 or 97 percent were men, but that’s not true,’’ she said. “Women are starting to be a factor.’’
Peterson said Massachusetts needs more grief support services for people who have lost loved ones to an opioid overdose, particularly siblings, who are oftentimes overlooked, and grandparents who raise grandchildren when painkillers make it impossible for parents to care for their children.
Schools must also do more to teach children about the brain and addiction science and better training is needed in emergency rooms to help patients seeking addiction treatment, she said.
“My wall is covered in obituaries,’’ Peterson said. “It could be wallpaper if this doesn’t get better.’’
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.
