Connecticut is on track to lose a record number of lives to drug overdose this year. The most deadly year prior was 2019, with 1,200 overdose deaths. Numbers updated earlier this week show 1,032 overdose deaths so far in 2020.
New Haven has announced a partnership aimed at working toward a solution despite a year of pandemic disruptions. At a news conference Tuesday, Mayor Justin Elicker noted trends statewide are consistent with what he’s seen in his city.
“Every month except for August this year, there were more overdoses than in previous years,” Elicker said. The rise in overdose deaths last year is attributed in large part to the widespread introduction of a powerful opioid called fentanyl.
The effort in New Haven will help addiction disorder services adapt to the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. The city will partner with Vital Strategies, a private company that works with governments to improve public health.
Christine Rodriguez, a noted harm reduction leader from Vital Strategies, said she will bring together existing resources and reorganize care so it can be safely delivered during the pandemic. New Haven’s Harm Reduction task force will continue to run a needle exchange program and use a community health van to provide care.
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