Connecticut officials met in Hartford Monday to discuss a recent spike in opioid overdose deaths in the city. Seven people died from overdoses last week – five within 15 hours of each other.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut called the roundtable meeting. It included lawmakers, doctors, addiction specialists and law enforcement. Monte Frank is with the Connecticut Bar Association’s Opioid Task Force.
“Obviously, for us to start bringing the numbers down and start saving lives, it’s going to take an approach that brings together people from all disciplines. And I think this is a very good first step in order to accomplish that.”
Forty-two people died from overdoses in Hartford this year. That’s compared to 22 over the same period last year. Most of the deaths are attributed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Hartford police say they’ve found fentanyl in pill form and mixed with heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine.
