Key points
The CDC Injury Center prioritizes funding for the prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), overdose, and suicide. This page shows how funds were appropriated in the state of Connecticut in FY22.
![State of Conneticut](/injury/budget/policystatesnapshots/images/state_outlines/Connecticut.png)
ACEs prevention funding - Connecticut
ACEs are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). Examples include neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, or having a family member attempt or die by suicide.
*ACE statistics are reported by U.S. adults and include exposure to eight types of ACEs: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing intimate partner violence, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, and incarcerated household member.
Total ACE prevention funding for Connecticut
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood: $500,000
- Connecticut Department of Health Services: $10,000
Other support for ACEs in Connecticut
Beyond the ACEs appropriation, CDC supports several initiatives, research, and partnerships to build state and tribal surveillance infrastructure and enhance ACEs prevention and mitigation.
In Connecticut, some of those other initiatives include:
Overdose prevention funding - Connecticut
There were 106,699 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021 (32.4 deaths per 100,000 standard population), a 16% increase from 2020.2
Total overdose prevention funding in Connecticut
- Connecticut State Award: $5,098,985
- Overdose Response Strategy: $74,500*
- Yale University Community Innovation Award: $135,000
*average award amount
Examples of how Connecticut is working to prevent overdose
Overdose education in correctional facilities
Connecticut increased overdose awareness and naloxone administration education in jails by teaching every inmate brought into custody about the signs of overdose and how to respond. Additionally, a new initiative helped to reach families of inmates when screening them to be sponsors upon discharge. Connecticut also added three facilities which offer medication for opioid use disorder, totaling nine facilities in the state and increasing the number of inmates treated in the program by 120%.
Harm reduction resource awareness
In Connecticut, a Combating Overdose through Community-Level Intervention initiative supported the Comprehensive Overdose Engagement team by mailing postcards to local residents. The postcards contained Overdose Response Coordinator contact information, job duties, and locations of the state’s harm reduction van. Within one week of the mailings, the harm reduction van received donations, including nearly one thousand clean syringes. The initiative also conducted naloxone administration trainings
Naloxone and overdose application usage
Connecticut's Naloxone and Overdose Response Application (NORA app) is a trusted statewide resource for accessing information on naloxone, recognizing an overdose, and finding treatment services. The app, available in four languages, includes materials about the risk of COVID-19 for people who use drugs and is used by many organizations including local health departments, recovery coaches, and emergency medical services.
Suicide prevention funding - Connecticut
- 401
- 10
Total suicide prevention funding for Connecticut
- Connecticut Department of Public Health: $700,000
Connecticut's suicide prevention priorities
Connecticut is preventing suicide with CDC Injury Center funding by:A
- Strengthening access and delivery of suicide care
- Creating protective environments
- Promoting connectedness
- Teaching coping and problem-solving skills
- Identifying and supporting people at risk
- Lessening harms and preventing future risk
Some groups have higher rates of suicide than others. To address disparities, Connecticut is focusing on:
- Youth and young adults ages 10-24
- Non-Hispanic white middle-aged males (aged 35-64)
Examples of how Connecticut is working to prevent suicide
Teaching mental health
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is supporting the roll-out of Gizmo's Pawesome Guide to Mental Health© elementary curriculum, a mental health promotion and social-emotional learning curriculum directed at 3rd-5th graders.
Providing emotional support
The Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board postvention subcommittee plans to reach out to families, schools, and other identified loss survivors to provide emotional support and resources for coping with loss and grief, and warning signs for suicide risk.
- This snapshot reflects suicide prevention priorities and activities under Year 1 funding of the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention (CSP) Program. This information is subject to change. For additional information, please see CSP: Program Profiles.
- Swedo EA, Aslam MV, Dahlberg LL, Niolon PH, Simon TR, Guinn AS, Mercy JA. Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among U.S. Adults – Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2011-2020. MMWR.
- Spencer MR, Miniño AM, Warner M. Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 457. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.15620/cdc:122556
- NVSS – Drug Overdose Deaths