With a significant uptick in opioid overdoses in the southeastern part of Connecticut, the state is creating a way to connect people battling addiction with others who can "coach" them.
The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) teamed up with the Connecticut Community for Addiction and Recovery (CCAP) to create the program that provides support to overdose victims in the emergency department by connecting them to "recovery coaches".
These coaches, who have battled addiction first-hand, help connect these patients to treatment and services.
The program launched last month at Manchester Memorial Hospital. Lawrence and Memorial (L+M), Windham and William Backus Hospitals are now part of it, too.
So far, coaches have been able to connect more than 40 people to recovery, according the emergency department recovery coach manager for CCAP.
“I have nine years clean off of heroin,” said Katie Siekiera, one of the recovery coaches.
Siekiera said that success came after nine to 14 detoxes or inpatient treatments. It was when she became pregnant with her first child that she made a permanent life change.
Local
As a recovery coach, she’s shared her experiences with overdose patients.
“You could see hope in her eyes from sharing my story and letting her know that I didn’t get it on the first time, either,” Siekiera said.
Over the last three years, doctors at L+M have seen heroin overdoses more than double: rising from 74 in 2014, to 98 in 2015, to 164 last year.
In 2016, more than 900 people died statewide from accidental overdoses. Most involved opioids, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“It’s work to be done. Recovery is a process,” said David Santiago, another recovery coach.
For 27 years, Santiago has worked to recover from his heroin and cocaine addictions, battling relapses along the way. He's now been clean for close to two years and wants to help others do the same.
“Here I am, just trying to help others help themselves,” Santiago said. “It helps me every day.”
