Tackling the Opioid Crisis in Fairfield County

October 4, 2019

The opioid crisis has touched every corner of our community, and I am pleased to work with my legislative colleagues, state and local officials on a bipartisan solution.
 
Wednesday night, I joined Attorney General William Tong, Senator Julie Kushner, State Reps. David Arconti, Ken Gucker, Raghib Allie-Brennan, Sean Scanlon, Stephen Harding, Rich Smith, and Bill Buckbee, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton to discuss the effects of the opioid crisis in our community and how we can secure funding and expand access to resources.
 
During last night’s discussion, I learned about the challenges many of our first responders face when responding to opioid-related incidents, and heard from residents about what else we can do.  

Attorney General Tong is a leader in a multistate lawsuit against Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family to hold them accountable for the opioid crisis and secure resources for long-term treatment and recovery. It investigates allegations that Purdue and the Sacklers evaded liability and responsibility for the opioid crisis in Connecticut. The 2019 complaint alleges Purdue and the Sackler family used misleading claims to push opioids onto patients and profited from pain and addiction.
 
The epidemic has had a profound effect on the Danbury community. According to the state Department of Public Health, from 2015 to 2017, 403 opioid overdose fatalities were reported in Fairfield County – about 11.4 percent occurred in Danbury. There have been 12 deaths this year alone.

While our state has passed a number of laws to address this epidemic, there is more work to be done. Click here to find out more about what we’ve done in the General Assembly.
 
I am also proud of our city's response. Western Connecticut State University has created a new master's degree program in Addiction to prepare professionals to combat this crisis.

Danbury is a Recovery Friendly Community and has partnered with the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to connect those struggling with addiction with the resources they need to recover. You can find more information by clicking here. For a list of helpful resources, click here.