Press Releases
08/15/2018
Gov. Malloy Statement on Outbreak of Overdose Cases in New Haven
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released the following statement regarding the large string of overdoses resulting from tainted K2, or synthetic marijuana, drugs that have occurred in New Haven during the last 24 hours:
“Today’s emergency is deeply troubling and illustrative of the very real and serious threat that illicit street drugs pose to health of individuals. The substance behind these overdoses is highly dangerous and must be avoided. The state Department of Public Health and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have been assisting New Haven officials throughout the day. I have spoken with Mayor Harp and assured her that the state remains committed and ready to assist their response efforts wherever needed.”
Officials from the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) have been and will remain in regular contact with New Haven officials to help and support the city’s response efforts. Specifically, the state provided support in the following ways today:
- DPH delivered 50 doses of naloxone to the City of New Haven to replenish the supply that had been expended by first responders during the last 24 hours. DPH officials also helped the city locate and secure high dosage naloxone.
- Through the state’s Syndromic Surveillance System, DPH facilitated the timely dissemination of data being reported by emergency room personnel, such as symptoms and ages, among the city’s emergency response agencies. This provided them a better sense of the scope of the problem, corroborated what they were seeing on the ground, and gave them the ability to see real-time data on those overdose victims who had had been transported to emergency rooms by someone other than the first responders.
- In addition to state staff, DMHAS engaged its network of community providers and deployed health professionals to assist the emergency responders with on-the-ground support. A cadre of psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, medical and homeless outreach staff assisted in triage, administering naloxone, and sending people to the hospital as needed.
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