A Community Forum Hosted
by the Second Church
Wednesday, May 23rd at 7:00 PM, the Second
Congregational Church of Coventry will host a community forum on the Opioid
Epidemic affecting Connecticut towns which has resulted in the death of a
number of Coventry residents. Data from the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) show continued sharp increases in heroin-involved deaths and
an increase in the number of deaths due to synthetic opioids such as
fentanyl. From 1999 through 2012, the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, reports the death rate in Connecticut was near
the National average. From 2012 to 2016,
Connecticut’s death rate increased from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 persons to 24.5
deaths per 100,000 persons while the national average in 2016 was 13.3 deaths
per 100,000 persons. The forum is a free
event open to the public to inform and to engage those present in a meaningful discussion
about opiate and substance use issues. The
speakers will include Mark Palmer, Chief of the Coventry Police Department, who
will speak on law enforcement’s role in addressing the opioid epidemic, Robert
Miller, Director of the Eastern Highlands Health District who will speak on the
epidemics’ affect on the state and local communities, and related public health
issues, and Sarah Howroyd, Co-Founder of the Manchester Police Department’s
HOPE program, who will speak about HOPE and her personal experiences with this
epidemic.
Chief Palmer states “The heroin and opioid epidemic is one of
the most urgent law enforcement and public health challenges facing our
country. In Connecticut, residents are
more likely to die from an opioid related overdose than a motor vehicle
accident as annual overdose deaths in our state were up over 1,000 for the
first time.” Health District Director,
Robert Miller reports that opioid treatment admissions are up 67% from 2012 to
2016. During January and February 2018,
1317 visits were made to the Emergency Departments of Connecticut’s 27 acute
care hospitals. According to Sarah
Howroyd, Co-Founder of the Manchester, CT HOPE Initiative, “Connecticut lost 1,038
of its residents in 2017 alone to drug-related overdose death; if you have not
been directly impacted by this crisis, it is only a matter of time.”
DATE: Wednesday, May 23, 2018
LOCATION: 1746 Boston Turnpike, Coventry, CT
TIME: 7:00pm