MESSAGE FROM MAYOR ERIN E. STEWART
The opioid and heroin crisis is one of the most pressing health epidemics of our time. We know that individuals struggling with addiction to opioids and heroin is on the rise. It’s time to take matters into our own hands and do what we can to help locally. In November 2018, the City of New Britain partnered with the New Britain State’s Attorney’s office, New Britain EMS, the New Britain Fire Department, the New Britain Police Department, the Hospital of Central Connecticut, and local service providers to offer an alternative pathway to recovery. We’ve given police officers discretion when making an arrest and instead have made it easier for individuals to get connected to the services they need. In a short amount of time, we have helped countless individuals get back on their feet. We call it the H.O.P.E. initiative: Heroin, Opioid, Prevention, and Education.
To delve even deeper, we launched the New Britain Opioid Task Force, now known as New Britain Recovers, in January 2019 to analyze data and trends, offer Naloxone training workshops, create a public education campaign, and more. We have set a goal of reducing opioid-related deaths by 50 percent over the next three years.
We hope that this website and the resources here are helpful.
Remember that you or your loved ones are not alone. If you need assistance getting connecting to services, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Community Services Division at 860-826-3366 or visit them in room 301 of City Hall. You can also stop by our Police Department at 10 Chestnut Street, call the non-emergency line at 860-826-3000, or stop any police officer without fear of arrest.
Sincerely,
Mayor Erin Stewart
Together, we can create a healthier community.
Communities across the nation are in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. More than 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Connecticut is among the top ten states for opioid overdose death rates.
The States office of the chief medical examiner has reported 1,017 Connecticut residents died from an overdose in 2018. Every city and town in our State has been affected. In the first six months of 2018 twenty nine (29) unintentional drug overdose deaths occurred here in our New Britain. Ninety two (92) percent of those deaths involved the use of opioids. These victims are our parents, brothers, sisters, children and neighbors.
In an effort to combat this growing public health crisis, Mayor Stewart has created the City of New Britain Opioid Response Task Force. This partnership is a multi-sector group of municipal agencies, community organizations, service providers and individuals that meet regularly to coordinate efforts and interventions in response to the opioid epidemic.
For more information on the Task Force, contact Mallory Deprey (Mallory.Depray@newbritainct.gov).
