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In a statement issued to the media after Descamps' death, the hospital expressed regret and acknowledged the care he received was inadequate. "In this case, we fell short of our goal of providing safe, reliable, compassionate care to our patient," it said. One study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found more than two-thirds of Americans who died from fatal overdoses in 2024 had "at least one potential opportunity for intervention" but didn't receive help. "When it comes to substance use disorder, we have not decided as a country this is an illness we actually can treat," said Beth Meyerson, an expert on addiction care at the University of Arizona's College of Nursing.