Opioid overdose deaths are down by 14.5 percent across Connecticut from April 2023 to April 2024, according to the Center for Disease Control’s latest report. Even more reassuring, the City of New Haven reports a 57% decrease in fatal overdoses (99 fatalities in 2023, 43 in 2024 thus far). West Haven and East Haven’s decline in overdose deaths is consistent with the CDC’s reported rate, hovering around 14.5%.
In a brand-new effort, American Medical Response is actively broadening the availability and accessibility of Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, within New Haven, West Haven and East Haven by implementing a new Narcan Leave-Behind program.
Through this program, AMR first responders can offer Narcan kits to patients, or anyone within the community, who might need the life-saving drug. AMR first received around 100 Narcan Leave-Behind kits on Aug. 28, through a state-funded grant program. It is the first time that EMS personnel can leave medications with patients to curb overdose deaths.
The kits also include contact information for free substance abuse counseling and healthcare through Yale New Haven. Every AMR ambulance in the area is now equipped with the Narcan kits.
The sudden drop in fatalities statewide and locally coincides with AMR’s overdose-related 911 calls, showing a promising decline after years of increased fatal overdoses. The precise factors contributing to the abrupt shift in overdoses remain unclear due to limited data at this time.
However, AMR first responders suggest that the cities’ commitment to public education, coupled with increased access to Narcan, may have played a significant role in this change. Although a positive trend, health experts warn that more than 100,000 people died last year from the fentanyl and drug epidemic, and drug cocktails are more poisonous than ever.