Granby may not be as affected by drug use and addiction as some other towns, but there is no denying that it exists here, in both youth and adult populations. It impacts not just the individuals but also families and the community. The Community Law Enforcement Addiction Recovery Program, CLEAR, has been created to address this problem.
CLEAR’s mission is to “form a collaborative network of professionals in the community who will facilitate medical intervention, improve access to treatment and recovery support for those struggling with drug addiction who seek assistance without fear of arrest or prosecution in order to make a positive difference in the quality of life for individuals, families and the entire community.” The goal is to connect impacted individuals within 24-36 hours with a social worker who will hopefully deflect the individual away from the criminal justice system, connecting them instead to support and treatment.
To assist the Town of Granby in implementing this program, the board of selectmen recently approved entering into a contract with McCall Behavioral Health Network, a non-profit organization based in Torrington. Although the entire Farmington Valley Health District is showing interest in this program, at this point Granby is the first to enter. It is expected that some or all of the towns in the FVHD will also join, maximizing the expertise and support and increasing the opportunity for future funding. As Granby Police Chief Scott Sansom notes, “This program is an effective way to combat the opioid problem collaboratively by sharing the resources and costs across communities.”
Town Manager Mike Walsh, Director of Human Services Sandra Yost and Sansom have worked diligently to be sure that this program will be a definite benefit to Granby. Sansom and Yost spoke at the Jan. 6 board of selectmen meeting, emphasizing how the program will provide one of the most significant, often missing, elements of dealing with a drug crisis or addiction event—a warm handoff. Often a crisis or event necessarily ends with the person being led away by a law enforcement officer to a jail cell or by ambulance to a hospital.
If that person is released in 72 hours, or upon recovery in a hospital, he or she most likely end up repeating the offense. What that person really needs is support and counseling before that happens. CLEAR promises to have a social worker at the jail, the hospital or home within 24 hours, providing support and resource referrals to the individual and the family in the hope that the cycle won’t continue.
The funding for this program comes from the $30,000 per year the Town of Granby receives from the litigation settlement with the major opioid manufacturers and distributors, chiefly the Sackler family. Connecticut’s share of this settlement is $600 million, to be distributed over the next 20 years with Granby’s share at $30,000 per year. Terms of the class-action lawsuit specify that this settlement money must be used to combat drug use and addiction. Granby is planning to pay McCall $28,000 a year for its service, which will allow it to assign a social worker to Granby’s caseload.
Walsh is 100 percent behind this program, saying “This is the single most important thing we can do to perhaps save a life. It is well worth it.”