Housatonic Community College (HCC) became one of 13 Connecticut schools to receive The State Targeted Response (STR) to the Opioid Crisis Grant in October, receiving a one-time payment of $11,000 to address the growing opioid problem within the state. The grant will run through April 2018.

The stated goal of the STR Grant is to increase awareness and reduce stigma of opioid abuse. Additionally, the funds will be used to broaden expertise and cultural competence of the issue on campus and to increase access to support networks for treatment and recovery.

After receiving the grant, HCC immediately began organizing on-campus activities aimed at positively impacting the campus community, including: Narcan training for faculty and staff, public awareness activities and training on the safe storage and safe disposal of opioids. These activities were coordinated with existing campus-and-county-based programs and partnerships.

Connecticut Open Data: Accidental Drug Related Death 2012-2016 provides information on each accidental death associated with drug overdose with the following HCC service region towns as follows: Ansonia, 19; Bridgeport, 228; Derby, 50; Easton, 1; Fairfield, 11; Milford, 56; Monroe, 5; Seymour, 10; Shelton, 19; Stratford, 40; and Trumbull, 12. These incidents within HCC’s diverse service region is testimony to the far-reaching and non-discriminatory nature of the opioid and substance abuse crisis that the U.S. now faces.