State will get $10M to address opioid crisis

Connecticut is receiving a $10 million federal grant that will be used to increase access to care for individuals with substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders. According to an announcement made Monday by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, funding will also be used to address the opioid crisis in the state by increasing access to medicationassisted treatment.

The grant has been awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

“Our state has always been committed to leveraging any federal resources that can be used to enhance services we provide,” Malloy said in a news release. “This funding will be used to improve health outcomes of those grappling with substance use addictions, including opioids, and mental illness.”

Substance use has been a pervasive health problem, both statewide and nationwide. In 2017, there were 1,038 accidental drug deaths in the state — up from 355 just five years earlier.

The federal grant will be used to serve more than 2,000 individuals. It will pair physical health providers with mental health and substance use providers in the cities of Bridgeport, Hartford and Waterbury. Programs that will benefit from the grant money include Optimus Health Care, which is based in Bridgeport, with offices in Stamford, Stratford, and Milford.