Several police departments across the state are teaming up to combat the influx of heroin overdoses in the area.
New London Mayor Michael Passero said drugs, primarily heroin, have become such a big problem that their police department is teaming up with 11 other departments and agencies to combat the problem.
“The local police departments are joining together to provide resources to our community. All of them. We all share this problem, we all have families that are suffering with this problem," said Passero.
The number of heroin, morphine or codeine overdose deaths in the state doubled to more than 400 in just the past three years, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's office.
Police chiefs and representatives from Groton Town, Groton City, Waterford, Stonington, Norwich, Ledyard and New London, East Lyme, Montville, Mashantucket Pequot, Adult Probation, Parole and the Connecticut State Police met to discuss strategies addressing opiate addiction in the state.
A representative from each department will work with the Statewide Narcotics Task Force to explore different opportunities to combat opioid addiction. Passero told NBC Connecticut the city has also hired a human services director to lead the effort against heroin and other drugs.
Most recently, Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in Waterford reported they had treated a serious uptick of patients for heroin overdoses.
"We've never seen so many in a 24-hour period," Dr. Deirdre Cronin, emergency department physician at L + M Hospital.
An L & M Hospital spokesperson told NBC Connecticut Tuesday evening there have been 20 suspected heroin overdoses since last Wednesday. The spokesperson confirmed there has been at least one additional heroin death so far. That person did not make it to the hospital. The spokesperson would not confirm if there were any deaths within the 20 people that made it to the hospital.
Joe de la Cruz of Groton and his wife, Tammy are part of an organization Community Speaks Out Inc. that is attempting to fight the growing epidemic. The organization includes parents of current or former addicts and other experts.
"When I hear an ambulance go by my house now or when I open up my newspaper I’m cringing," de la Cruz said.
On Tuesday, President Obama requested more than $1 billion in the new budget for drug abuse and overdoses. Obama's request aims providing money for states under joint state-federal agreements to expand treatments accessibility.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 47,000 people died from overdoses last year.
