Opioid Epidemic In Connecticut: 'Sometimes' 5 to 6 Deaths A Day, Guilford Woman Pushes For Changes

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT – As one who has become known as a spokesperson in the opioid crisis in the state, Guilford’s Sue Kruczek participated recently in a summit attended by both Connecticut senators and a top advisor to President Donald Trump on the drug epidemic

The summit was organized by U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and featured Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner James Gill and Dr. Bertha Madras, a professor at Harvard Medical School and one of five members of President Trump’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.

Accidental drug intoxication deaths, which increased 25 percent in 2016, “are not decreasing,” Gill told first responders and community providers.

“We are seeing two or three deaths a day, sometimes five or six,” Gill said at the summit on the opioid epidemic at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.

Kruczek, whose son Nick died from a drug overdose at the age of 20, was one of more than 200 community activists, first responders, mayors, police chiefs, health advocates, etc. who participated in the summit.

Also in attendance was Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon, who has been one of the leading advocates in Hartford for legislation designed to combat the crisis which killed 917 people in the state last year.

Part of the summit’s format was for participants to share their thoughts on the crisis, and what could be done to stem it.

Asked what thoughts she shared with the group of people she talked to, Sue Kruczek said the following:

“The biggest issue I'm trying to get addressed is this: (which we found out after Nick passed away is what happened to him).

“Nick was at YNHH and overdosed. They had to revive him with Narcan. At some point after he was revived he was able to just get up and walk out the door.

He died that afternoon.

“I don't understand why there isn't some sort of mandatory hold. Start the detox process right there while they are in the hospital. Find a facility where they can go directly to. They are obviously in the throws of addiction. Opiate addiction isn't the kind of thing you just walk away from. Withdrawals are nasty. Vomiting, diarrhea, severe muscle pain etc.

“If I was suicidal, I would not be able to leave.

“If I was anorexic, I would not be able to leave.

“If I had a heart attack, I would not be able to leave.

“I would get cared for, treated and have an exit plan.

“Had they started detoxing Nick while he was already in the hospital. He wouldn't have died that afternoon. I don't know if he'd still be here now. But, I do know he could've had a chance.

“The other issue is because he was 20 years old. I didn't have to be notified. I had no idea that he had been revived from an OD until a couple days after he died. He was literally brought back to life and able to just get up and walk out.

Addiction has been proven to be a disease. It's time we start treating it as such.”

Sue Kruczek added: “Other people at my table talked about Connecticut needing a sober high school and more awareness and education brought to all the middle and high schools. Our goal is to get into every school system in Connecticut We've had a great response from many school systems including Madison, Branford, North Branford, Killingworth Haddam etc.”

She added: “People are dying at an alarming rate with the statistics going up every year. We need to stop the over prescribing, the heroin flowing into our country and mandate insurance companies to pay their part for treatment.”