‘Help is out there’: CT leaders mark Overdose Awareness Day

State leaders expressed both hope for those struggling with addiction and grief for those who have lost their lives as they gathered on Monday at the state Capitol in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, which takes place on Aug. 31.

In 2023, more than 1,300 Connecticut residents — an average of nearly four people per day — died of an overdose. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon mourned the lives lost and stressed that resources are available for people currently struggling with addiction.

“We are also here today to say loud and clear to the people of Connecticut: Help is out there, and if you need it, we are here for you to make sure you get that help,” said Scanlon.

Connecticut’s state and local governments will receive $600 million over the next decade and beyond to help combat the opioid epidemic. The funding will come from several large legal settlements with pharmacy chains, opioid manufacturers and distributors.

“The lion’s share of that money is going to services,” said Attorney General William Tong. “We’re trying to abate a crisis that costs Connecticut more than $10 billion every single year in economic damage.”

In 2022, state lawmakers voted to establish the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, which is responsible for ensuring the money gets spent transparently and equitably.

To date, the committee has approved roughly $18 million to go toward a variety of initiatives, including the overdose-reversing medication naloxone, harm reduction supplies, expansion of medication-assisted treatment sites in prisons and mobile methadone vans.

Some municipalities have also begun spending their funding. New London, for example, used the funds to purchase several hundred kits of naloxone, which is also commonly known by its brand name Narcan. In Hartford, the first wave of funds was directed toward a housing program for men returning to the city after prison.

Earlier this year, experts from the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health published a report to help guide the state in the use of the funding. Researchers highlighted the importance of increasing access to the most effective opioid use disorder medications and reducing overdose risk and mortality.

Kass Kruh, a state employee who lost both her parents to overdose deaths, spoke about the importance of dignity for those in recovery.

“Together we can and we must work towards a future where overdoses are rare, not rampant, and where every person in their recovery journey is treated with the dignity that they deserve,” Kruh told the crowd.

Representatives from several departments shared small steps residents can take to combat the opioid crisis.

Kelly Juleson-Scopino, co-president of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership, stressed the importance of disposing of expired and unneeded medications. Disposal pouches are available to Connecticut residents for free.

Justin Mehl, the opioid services coordinator at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, demonstrated how to administer naloxone, which works similarly to other nasal spray medications. A video from the Centers of Disease Control on how to administer the naloxone can be found here.

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