Research Publications
An Opioid epidemic is ravaging families and damaging our communities beneath the surface of beautiful, rural Northwest Connecticut. Almost 20 years ago fatal overdoses surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in Connecticut. As part of our response, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, the Foundation for Community Health, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and the McCall Center for Behavioral Health are pleased to provide you with this report on the opioid epidemic and its impact on Northwest Connecticut. In addition to producing this report, our organizations are committed to applying our collective resources and strengths to work together to support current and ongoing efforts to address this epidemic.
Beneath the surface of beautiful, rural Northwest Connecticut, is a battle being waged by many of our friends and neighbors, healthcare providers and the substance abuse service community that is the opioid epidemic. This epidemic is ravaging families and damaging our communities. It is a little known fact that almost 20 years ago fatal overdoses surpassed motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in Connecticut. Motor vehicle accidents decreased due in large part to proactive multi-level community efforts. However, there was no apparent equally focused community effort with respect to fatal overdoses. Since little attention was paid to the mounting number of fatal overdoses over the past 20 years, it comes as no surprise that with increased media attention on the opioid epidemic, it is easier for us to see what should have been obvious all along – that hundreds of people are dying of opioid overdoses every year in Connecticut.
Read the Full Report; Beneath the Surface: The Opioid Epidemic in Northwest CT
