According to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Connecticut has one of the highest rates of opioid-related ER visits in the country.
In Connecticut, there were 255 visits for every 100,000 people in 2014, significantly more than the national average of 178 visits. It’s also a 35 percent increase between the years 2009 and 2014.
Last month, the state medical examiner’s office reported 917 fatal overdoses for 2016, a 25 percent increase from 2015. Over half of those deaths involved the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Connecticut has passed several laws to combat the opioid epidemic. First responders are now required to carry Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, and initial opioid prescriptions are mostly limited to seven-day supplies.
Other Northeastern states also ranked high for opioid-related emergency visits. Massachusetts ranked first, with 450 visits for every 100,000 people. Rhode Island ranked third, with 298 visits. New York ranked tenth with 186.
