Addressing the Opioid Crisis in Bristol

NEWS RELEASE
Office of the Mayor
111 North Main Street
Bristol, CT 06010

Bristol, CT, December 13, 2018 – Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu today announced the receipt of a grant from the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) that will enable the City of Bristol to directly address the opioid crisis with a $150,000 grant. The “How Can We Help?” recovery support services will be provided by Wheeler Clinic to Bristol residents from January 2019 to September 29, 2020.

“The Opioid Task Force has been working diligently to raise awareness of this critical issue in our community,” Mayor Zoppo-Sassu said. “We’re grateful to DMHAS for their support, and we look forward to working with Wheeler Clinic to provide this outreach and support for our residents dealing with crisis situations in their homes and families.”

Susan Walkama, LCSW, President and CEO of Wheeler Clinic, echoes the sentiments about the strong collaborative relationship between Wheeler and the City of Bristol. “We know that effective supports in the community make a tremendous difference for a person living with an addiction,” Walkama said. “We’ve been a partner with the City in many of our community outreach efforts, and we are pleased to be able to offer our recovery coaches to individuals in recovery in their own homes.”

Marco Palmeri, MPH, RS, Director of the Bristol-Burlington Health District, will be the project leader for this effort. Mr. Palmeri has played an important part in this cooperative grant process, and his office will supervise the recovery peer coach, compile statistics, and prepare reports for the State. “2019 can be the beginning of an entirely new life for some Bristol residents who are able to take advantage of this program,” Palmeri said. “We’re very lucky to have this opportunity to reach more people with this intensive model.”

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For more information about services available for you at the Wheeler Family Health & Wellness Center (10 North Main Street, Bristol) or at other Wheeler locations, please call our Navigation Center at 860.793.3500.

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