NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut is getting more money to fight the opioid epidemic.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) presented a $15 million grant in New Haven on Friday and said he hopes more funding is on the way for outreach prevention, services and resources.
“There was a time when harm-reduction was a dirty word. We now know that it’s essential to saving lives,” Blumenthal said.
In Connecticut, the state reported 1,343 overdose-related deaths in 2023, an 8.3% drop from 2022.
Blumenthal credited tools like Narcan, an overdose reversal medicine, for putting the state on a downward trend.
“The fact that we’re having less deaths may be due to increased use of Narcan, which is a good thing. But the continued substance use disorder epidemic is the reason for this grant, so we can do more harm-reduction, more prevention, more treatment.”
The federal money will also pay for drug-strip testing to identify counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, a drug 100 times more potent than morphine.
“Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people, die because they don’t know fentanyl was in what they were consuming,” Blumenthal said.
But he noted that the multi-million dollar grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration will only cover so much.
“It’s wonderful to have $15 million, but there has to be sustained commitment,” he said.
The senator from Connecticut has introduced a new bill called the Care Act, which would invest billions of dollars into places dedicated to combating substance abuse disorders, like the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in New Haven.
“Our capacity in that regard simply would not be possible without the support,” Michael Taylor, CEO, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center, said. “Allowing us to sustain and build our capacity to treat this plague that really curses our community and the people we love and care so much about.”
The CDC recommends keeping Narcan readily available in your home. There are several pharmacies across the state that are certified to prescribe it.
Find more information here.
----
Bridgette Bjorlo is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at bbjorlo@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
----
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com.
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.