Objective:  Healthy CT 2020 objective is to reduce drug overdose related incidents by 10% by year 2020.

What is Drug Overdose?: A drug overdose is defined as taking an excessive amount of drug which will result in harmful effects on body functions. A person can overdose on prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, or illegal drugs. Drug overdoses can be either accidental or intentional. An overdose may lead to serious medical complications and the severity of the drug overdose depends on the type of drug, amount taken, and the physical and medical history of an individual. National and State of Connecticut data shows that during the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in drug overdose deaths, particularly with opioid-related drugs. Currently, misuse and addiction to opioids including prescription pain relievers, heroin and synthetic opioids is a serious national crisis which is affecting the public health. 

Graph:  The line graph shows the drug overdose deaths involving heroin during the years 2013-2019. From 2013 to 2016, the rate of heroin-involved drug overdose deaths gradually increased but there was a gradual decrease seen from 2017 to 2019. When compared to 2017, in 2019 there was a decrease of heroin involved drug overdose deaths by 18%. In recent years, higher percentage of deaths were involved with synthetic opioid fentanyl. The Healthy Connecticut 2020 objective is to reduce unintentional poisoning deaths by 10% by 2020.

Data Source:  Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Connecticut

Data updated by OCME 6/3/2020

Potential Partners

Connecticut Department of Public Health; Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs; Connecticut Department of Social Services; Connecticut Poison Control Center; Commission on Children; Office of the Child Advocate; state and local substance abuse prevention service providers; local public health agencies; emergency medical services; hospitals; pharmacists and other health care providers; health professional associations; community service providers for families, youth, and seniors; organizations and coalitions focused on prevention of injury and poisonings; and others.

Policy: Improve surveillance and understanding of circumstances surrounding poisoning deaths by securing an enforceable legislative mandate that requires reporting of all poisonings to the poison center.

Surveillance: Improve surveillance and understanding of circumstances surrounding poisoning deaths by creating a legislatively mandated death review panel for all decedents who are suspected to have died by poisoning. The purpose of the panel is to look for systems changes and lessons learned from these deaths in order to inform prevention, training, policy, and surveillance. The panel will include co-chairs with toxicology expertise from the poison center and the medical examiner’s office. Other members might have expertise in suicide, older adults, children, substance abuse, and mental health to name a few.

Education and Training: Train death scene investigators in issues and investigatory techniques pertinent to prescription opioids, diversion, and other poisoning trends.