Griffin Health, Agency on Aging to inform seniors about opioid overdose

Griffin Health and the Agency on Aging of South-Central Connecticut are hosting a series of talks to inform seniors about know what can do in the event of an opioid overdose this October.

Naugatuck Valley Health District Overdose Prevention Navigator Austin Telford, MPH, CCHW, will present “Narcan and You: Empowering Seniors to Respond to an Opioid Overdose,” which provides essential information on recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer Narcan (naloxone), a safe and effective nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. 

The discussion will cover how to obtain Narcan, what to do in an emergency, and the importance of this life-saving tool in protecting friends, family, and community members. 

Griffin Health caregivers will also be offering free blood pressure screenings and consultations at the events.

The presentations are scheduled for Oct. 2 from 2-3 p.m. at the Ansonia Senior Center, Oct. 6 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Seymour Senior Center, Oct. 22 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Shelton Senior Center, and Oct. 23 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at Derby Neck Library.

These offerings are part of the AgeWell program, which is co-sponsored by Griffin Health and the Agency on Aging of South-Central Connecticut to increase access to care and prevent disease in the Valley senior community through a series of health screenings and healthy living education sessions each month. Periodically, this program provides nutritiously balanced and delicious foods for attendees.

Registration is required to attend the AgeWell events. 

To sign up, contact the location (Ansonia Senior Center: 203-736-5933; Seymour Senior Center: 203- 888-0406 ext. 1; Shelton Senior Center: 203-924-9324; and Derby Neck Library: 203-734-1492).

This is a press release from Griffin Health.

Derby Public Library, Naugatuck Valley Health District to host Save A Life Day

DERBY - Derby Public Library will host a N.O.P.E. Program (N)augatuck Valley (O)verdose (P)revention & (E)ducation) Save A Life Day - April 9, 2-4 p.m. 

To register, call 203-736-1482 or email dplreference@biblio.org or atelford@nvhd.org

Thousands of individuals and organizations across the nation will come together for Save a Life Day, a vital initiative aimed at preventing overdose deaths and equipping communities with life- saving resources. 

This annual event is dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, and distributing free naloxone (Narcan) to those who need it most. This year, NVHD will join approximately 15 local health departments and districts around the state to provide free Narcan!

**If you suspect an opioid overdose, call 911 and get emergency medical assistance immediately.** Signs of an opioid overdose may include some if not all of the following: unresponsive to voice or touch; pinpoint-sized pupils, blue or purple fingernails and lips; slow heartbeat or low blood pressure; pale, clammy skin; slow, irregular, or stopped breathing.

Good Samaritan Law in CT protects people who call 911 seeking emergency medical services for an overdose from arrest* for possession of drugs/paraphernalia. The law also provides protection from civil liability and criminal prosecution for administering naloxone (Narcan) in response to an overdose.

*Good Samaritan Law does not protect someone from other charges and does not stop the police from serving a search or arrest warrant if that was already in process.

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Ansonia Police charge city resident in woman's overdose death

Michael Dupre

 

ANSONIA - Police Tuesday served an arrest warrant on Michael Dupre in an overdose death investigation involving a 40-year-old female resident of Ansonia. 

The warrant was the result of a year-long investigation by Det. Jon Troesser. This is the second arrest of Dupre for his involvement in an overdose death. On Oct. 9, 2024 Dupre was arrested in the overdose death of a 24-year-old female Ansonia resident.

Dupre, 51, of Ansonia was charged with operating a drug factory, 3 counts of sale of narcotics, 2 counts of sale of a hallucinogenic, misrepresentation of a controlled substance, and sale of a controlled substance in public housing. 

Dupre was held on a $150,000 bond and was to be arraigned Tuesday at Derby Superior Court.

This is a press release from Lt. Patrick Lynch.

 

Derby Neck Library to offer free, in-person Narcan training

DERBY - In partnership with the Alliance for Prevention and Wellness of BHcare, Derby Neck Library is proud to offer free, in-person Narcan training for members of the community ages high school and up. 

The training will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 11. The Library is at 307 Hawthorne Ave.

Register below:

https://derbynecklibrary.org/.../free-community-narcan.../

This is shared from the Library's Facebook page.

Derby slates Medication Take Back Day April 22 at Bradley School

DERBY - The Derby Youth Service Bureau is partnering with the Derby Police Department and Naugatuck Valley Health District to hold a Medication Take Back Day April 22 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

The event will be held at Bradley School, 155 David Humphreys Road.

This community service initiative is in unison with the National Medication Take Back Day and is in response to the public health crisis concerning the growing number of overdose deaths in our country, which has doubled in recent years.

This effort is intended to take back un-wanted, un-used prescription drugs, which can make their way into the community and in the hands of young people. 

The inappropriate use of these drugs can lead to possible addiction and the desire to move toward a more dangerous illicit drug market. These illicit drugs, which are often tainted with fentanyl and other synthetic chemicals, are dangerous and have caused thousands of overdose deaths. Medication Take Back Day is one-step in helping to prevent these overdose tragedies.

This is a press release from Derby Public Schools.

Alliance for Prevention & Wellness to hold Narcan training via Zoom

 

This is shared from the Seymour Ambulance Association Facebook page.

Alliance for Prevention & Wellness to host online events to mark overdose awareness

Local communities throughout Connecticut and around the world are coming together Monday (Aug. 31) to remember those who have died or suffered permanent injury due to drug overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) seeks to create better understanding of overdose, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and create change that reduces the harms associated with drug use.

Drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths continue to rise at an alarming rate.

According to the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, more than 67,300 Americans died from drug-involved overdose in 2018, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids. Connecticut lost 1,200 people in drug-related overdoses last year, an average of three people a day.

IOAD is a time to acknowledge and support the grief felt by families and friends who have lost a loved one, provide hope to families who have a loved one struggling with a substance use disorder, and to provide local prevention and treatment resources to our communities.

As part of IOAD, BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention & Wellness) is offering the following upcoming events:
Narcan training on Sept. 2 from 2-3 p.m. via zoom register at https://conta.cc/3jg3Bab.

FB LIVE session on Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) held on Sept. 9 from 1-2 p.m. at www.facebook.com/apwct.

If you know a friend or family member in need of help, contact BHcare at 203-800-7177. For substance use treatment resources, call 1-800-563-4086 or visit drugfreect.org.

The Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, a program of BHcare, is the Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization for the DMHAS Region II service area.

APW’s mission is to foster positive mental health by preventing substance misuse and other health-risk behaviors, and by building resources that promote wellness.

For more information, visit www.APW-CT.org


This is a press release from BHcare.

Pandemic postpones 6th annual Overdose Awareness 5K Walk/Run

Narcan event slated at Cornell Scott Hill Health Center in Ansonia

Ansonia Library to host training on use of Narcan

Derby Youth Service Bureau to sponsor Narcan Training at AHS

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Oxford to host Narcan training Tuesday

5K Walk/Run for Overdose Awareness slated at Shelton Riverwalk

Free Narcan training slated at Derby High School

Agencies to host Narcan training at Seymour Middle School

SEYMOUR - A free Community Narcan Training Event will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 8 at Seymour Middle School.
The Seymour Public Schools, Seymour Police Department, Seymour Ambulance, CT DMHAS, and the Alliance for Prevention & Wellness are partnering to host the training.

This event will teach people in the community how to administer Narcan by using a nasal injector. 
This lifesaving Narcan is an opiate antidote.  Opioids include prescription pain pills such as codeine, oxycodone, and morphine, as well as heroin.  
Narcan is a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.

There will be some free Narcan Kits to hand out for those without insurance or who have higher co-pays.  
There is also going to be a pharmacist on site to write prescriptions for Narcan for those people with insurance who want a Narcan Kit.    

This is an RSVP event only to the first 35 people who sign up.  
Kearns is the point person taking reservations.  
If anyone in the community would like to be trained in administering Narcan please contact Kearns at:  rkearns@seymourschools.org  or 203-888-2561 ext. 1003.   
Being trained in the use of Narcan may just save someone’s life.

Helping coordinate this event are: Kearns, Inspector Joe DeNigris and Officer Jon Martin, Seymour Police Department, Lorrie McFarland, Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, Taylor Quijano, AmeriCorps Service Member and Alliance for Prevention & Wellness, Chief Kyle Kelly and Deputy Chief Bryan Ryan, Seymour Ambulance Association.

Seymour Middle School is at 211 Mountain Road.


This is a press release from Rich Kearns, Security Director, Seymour Public Schools.

FADE to hold overdose awareness event at Shelton Riverwalk

Proceeds to benefit Alliance for Prevention and Wellness

SHELTON - Fight Against Drugs Everywhere (FADE) will hold its second annual overdose awareness walk at 10 a.m. Sept. 24 at the Shelton Pavilion and Riverwalk. 

Registration begins at 8 a.m. followed by a pre-walk presentation at 9 a.m. 
All proceeds benefit BHcare’s Alliance for Prevention and Wellness.

The walk is being held to raise awareness of overdoses, and to acknowledge and support the grief felt by families and friends who have lost a loved one. 
Drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths continue to rise at an alarming rate. More than 120 people die every day in the U.S. from an opioid overdose. 

Join the walk to help end the epidemic and save lives. Register today at http://bit.ly/FADEwalk16. 

The Alliance for Prevention and Wellness, a program of BHcare, is a public/private partnership comprised of community leaders and citizens who develop and carry out strategies to reduce alcohol, tobacco, drug use, suicide, and risky behaviors, and to promote good mental health among youth and adults through community education, community mobilization, public awareness, and advocacy in the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Greater New Haven and surrounding communities. 

For more information, please visit www.APW-CT.org.


This is a press release from BHcare.