CHA Endorses Expansion of Substance Abuse Prevention Campaign

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) is proud to support The Governor’s Prevention Partnership (GPP) as the organization seeks to expand the Prevention Starts with You™ initiative into eastern Connecticut to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.

In a letter to U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, CHA endorsed GPP’s application for Congressionally Directed Spending to scale the campaign by mailing 65,000 at-home drug deactivation kits and prevention resources directly to households in rural communities.  The funds will also be used to deliver valuable training and education for parents and caregivers in eastern Connecticut.

This work builds on the demonstrated success of GPP’s Prevention Starts with You™ campaign, which has already distributed 59,000 pouches and prevention information throughout Greater Hartford and New Haven, removing more than 2 million potentially dangerous drugs and medications from homes.

Connecticut’s hospitals continue to see the impact of substance use disorder across the care continuum.  While recent data show encouraging declines in overdose deaths, sustained progress will require continued investment in upstream, community-based prevention strategies that reduce risk before clinical intervention is needed.

“Expanding this effort to rural areas is particularly important, as these communities often face barriers to accessing prevention resources and have experienced disproportionate impacts from the opioid crisis,” CHA’s letter reads.  “Hospitals strongly support strategies that reduce avoidable harm and complement clinical care.  Investments like this not only improve community safety but also help alleviate downstream strain on emergency departments and behavioral health systems.”

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, a public-private organization founded in 1989, is dedicated to leveraging business and government resources to prevent underage drinking and substance use, increase young people’s access to quality mentoring, and build strategic alliances to promote the overall well-being of Connecticut’s future workforce.

Click here to learn more about the project.

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State To Mail 50,000 Drug Deactivation Pouches to Connecticut Families Annually for Five Years