Former Educator Shares Heroin's Devastating Impact

NEW MILFORD, CT — A local forum was recently held in Fairfield, according to the Fairfield Citizen, where addicts and those impacted by heroin came to share their stories.

Donna DeLuca, former Catholic school principal told the paper, "I was the principal of a Catholic school in Newtown and my kid was sticking a needle in his arm.”

DeLuca is the founder of C.A.R.E.S. — Community Addiction & Recovery Education & Support, which has locations in Brookfield, Trumbull, New Milford and Ridgefield. She told the paper that she had founded the nonprofit after two of her sons became addicted to drugs and she felt there was nowhere to go for support.

DeLuca is also the co-founder of Newtown's Parent Connection, along with Dorrie Carolan, whose son died at the age 28 of a prescription drug overdose.

DeLuca met with Dorrie following the tragic death of a local teenager in 2003 to "unite their efforts and resurrected the Parent Connection," according to their website.

Both women were recent recipients of the Gail Smith Award for their efforts in promoting community education and understanding of substance abuse and underage drinking in Newtown.

The Fairfield forum on the growing problem of opioid addiction was sponsored by the Town of Fairfield’s delegation of state legislators.

Sen. Tony Hwang, who represents Connecticut’s 28th Senatorial District, which includes the towns of Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Weston and Westport, said the addiction often starts with prescriptions for pain killers like oxycodone but when the dosage is completed the addict often turns to heroin, which is cheaper and easier to get.

Legislators are currently working on a bill that would limit prescriptions for opioids to 7 days. Senate Bill 352, An Act Concerning Prescriptions for and the Dispensing of Opioid Antagonists and Opioid Drugs, received bipartisan support from committee members and was unanimously voted out of the Public Health Committee last Monday.

The bill limits opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply for adult patients who are taking opioids for the first time. Subsequent refills could be obtained at the discretion of the physician if the patient has persistent pain. Exceptions are also outlined in the bill for those who suffer from chronic pain, cancer-associated pain, or for palliative care.

Under the bill, medical practitioners cannot prescribe more than a seven-day supply for a minor and they must discuss the necessity of the medication and the associated risks with the minor’s parent or guardian.

Related:

• Newtown's State Rep. JP Sredzinski Praises Bill Adressing Overprescribing of Opioids
• Community Forum to Address Opioid and Heroin Crisis
• Heroin Killing Connecticut Residents At An Alarming Rate

Photo: Newtown Parent Connection