Organization Provides Overdose Outreach For Middlesex County

Information via BHcare Alliance for Prevention & Wellness

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, CT — BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention & Wellness (APW) has been piloting a post overdose outreach program in 10 towns in Middlesex County since March of this year. This program is funded by the University of Baltimore under the Combating Overdose Through Community-level Intervention grant. The program is over seen by Director, Pam Mautte and Overdose Response Coordinator, Andrew Penna.

The post overdose outreach program works in conjunction with the Connecticut State Police Troop F, East Hampton Police Department, Portland Police Department and Adult Probation in Middletown. The goal and mission of this program is to provide follow up to overdose survivors, grief support for families who witness a fatal overdose, harm reduction in the area and substance misuse/overdose prevention. To date, the program has been positively received by the communities currently served.

This program also offers a Handle with Care Initiative for the school districts. Handle with Care is to provide the school with a “heads up” if an officer goes to any type of call and they think a child has been exposed to trauma. This initiative allows for an extra set of eyes to be put on any child who experiences trauma. The goal of the Handle with Care initiative aims to diminish adverse childhood experiences. East Hampton and Durham-Middlefield have implemented the Handle with Care initiatives in their school systems.

Since the induction of the overdose outreach program, APW received funding for another pilot program from the Center for Disease Control Foundation for a Public Health & Safety Team (PHAST). The PHAST is co-chaired by Anna Gasinski of the New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and Sergeant Haley Russenberger of the Connecticut State Police. PHAST, comprised of task force members from multiple sectors such as law enforcement, public health organizations, drug-free communities and a variety of other sectors, aims to conduct a capacity assessment, increase access of Narcan to residents, increase data collection and promote/make harm reduction services available to those in rural areas.

Part of this initiative includes a harm reduction mobile van that visits multiple communities in the region to provide Narcan, clean syringes, fentanyl test strips, band aids and more. “The main objective of this van is to meet people where they are at”, stated Penna. The van is available at Town Hall in Durham from 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm every Tuesday, the commuter lot located at 254 W High Street in East Hampton every Thursday from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and the commuter lot at 21 Hoop Hill Road in Chester every Thursday from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm.

The Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, a program of BHcare, is the Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization (RBHAO) for the DMHAS Region II service area. APW’s mission is to foster positive mental health by preventing substance misuse and other health-risk behaviors, and by building resources that promote wellness. For more information, please visit APW-CT.org