More than half of accidental overdoses in Connecticut happen to former inmates.
That’s according to Dr. Kathleen Maurer, director of Health and Addiction Services at the state Department of Corrections. She told the state Alcohol and Drug Policy Council on Tuesday that those overdoses are unacceptable.
"Shame on us...I have to do a better job."
Maurer says the high cost of delivering Naloxone keeps her from getting the life-saving opioid overdose antidote to former inmates.
“We don’t have the funding to put a team together, or support on the outside, to put programs together to provide the Naloxone.”
The health department covers the cost of the drug, but Maurer says she she needs staff to distribute it.
The council is made up of elected officials, health care providers, and non-profit leaders who work in addiction recovery. It aims to reduce overdose deaths.