Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a proclamation declaring April 23-29, 2018, as Addiction Treatment Week throughout the state of Connecticut.
The proclamation noted that, while Connecticut has made significant progress in addressing addiction, only 10 percent of those diagnosed with an addiction find the treatment they need to successfully overcome their struggle. “It is important that we continue to provide education, care, and services required in order to combat drug addiction in our state and in our nation,” Malloy wrote in the proclamation.
Rushford Medical Director J. Craig Allen, MD, chair of the Hartford Healthcare’s Clinical Counsel on Addictions and President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, welcomed the Governor’s proclamation.
“The governor has focused on this issue and implemented a number of sound initiatives to address it. In addition to active support of the state’s efforts, Hartford Healthcare has been aggressive in our attack on the opioid overdose crisis,” Allen said.
Allen said Hartford HealthCare initiatives to address the crisis include: training medical providers on safe opioid use and non-opioid pain management; professional and community overdose education and naloxone (known commercially as Narcan) provision; enhanced access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder; promotion of the safe disposal of unused prescription medications; and implementation of a program to connect recovery coaches to individuals with drug- or alcohol-related problems in emergency rooms.
“We are also implementing processes involving Electronic Health Records (EHR) to track risky prescribing practices, identify high risk patients as well as promote a standardized evidenced based approach to intervene with these patients,” said Allen.
Connecticut is one of just 12 states earning recognition for its improving efforts to protect residents from opioid overdoses according to a report by The National Safety Council.