Guilford Mother Says Connecticut Making Strides on Opioid Epidemic

Originally written by Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT – A Guilford mother who has become known statewide for trying to educate people about the dangers of opioids is applauding the latest initiatives by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to combat the drug crisis.

Sue Kruczek’s son died of a drug overdose at the age of 20 and she has become one of the go to spokespeople on the opioid epidemic plaguing the state of Connecticut.

She was at the side of Malloy last May when he signed landmark legislation placing a 7-day cap on opioid prescription, a law sponsored by Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon, another politician that Kruczek has spent much of the past year with at events concerning the opioid crisis.

Last week in Hartford, Malloy outlined a series of new strategies to fight the epidemic, which include:

-- requiring electronic prescriptions: Currently, prescribers can choose whether to prescribe opioid medication electronically or on paper. Malloy said going totally electronic will “reduce the potential for fraud and create a system of trackable data.”

-- facilitating in the destruction of medications: Under current law, only the person prescribed medication or their caregivers can dispose of unused medication. Malloy is proposing to expand this ability to home health care agency nurses.

-- allowing patients to refuse opioids: Malloy is proposing to allow patients to include in their medical files a form indicating they do not want opioid treatment.

-- expand the requirement to provide information about the risk of addiction to adults: Currently, prescribers are only required to share information on the risk of addiction to minors.

-- encourage data sharing among state agencies: Malloy is proposing to ease statutory restrictions on data sharing between state agencies.

Of Malloy’s new initiatives, and the already taken steps, Sue Kruczek said: “I believe we have made major milestones in Connecticut to help significantly decrease the amount of future addicts due to all the steps taken to reduce the crazy amount of unnecessary pills being prescribed and simple ways to dispose of pills not used. This will help eliminate the pills from falling into the wrong hands.”

Kruczek added: “I have seen such a difference in the past year on awareness and lifting the stigma of addiction. Every time I turn on the TV something is being talked about. This is all great.

“Now, we have major work to do to help all that are currently battling the disease of addiction. My hopes are that the insurance companies start recognizing, addressing and changing their policies to help battle the crisis that we are in. It takes a village.”

(Editor's Note: This story first ran previously but here it is again in case you missed it.)