►
Description
Groton Humans Services Family Forum Host, Kimberly Gordy talks with
A
Hello
and
welcome
to
Family
Forum,
my
name
is
Kim
Gordy
I'm,
a
social
worker
at
the
town
of
Groton
Human,
Services
I
will
be
your
host
for
the
next
half
hour
or
so,
and
in
this
family
Forum
segment
we
will
be
showcasing
ledge
light
health
district,
as
you
may
have
seen
on
our
last
Family
Family
Forum,
we
discussed
substance
use
disorder,
we
discussed
the
use
of
Narcan
and
we
talked
with
the
staff
of
New
London
County
cares
today.
We
will
continue
that
conversation.
We
will
dive
a
little
bit
deeper
into
this
very
important
subject.
A
Ledgelight
health
district
is
the
local
Health
Department
for
Groton
and
a
number
of
surrounding
towns,
in
addition
to
a
multitude
of
other
Public
Health
Services
ledge
light
and
partner
agencies,
including
Alliance,
for
living
work
to
implement
the
New
London,
coordinated
access,
resources,
engagement
and
support
or
NLC
cares
project
which
provides
support
for
individuals
living
with
substance
use
disorder.
They
work
across
agencies
to
improve
conditions
that
contribute
to
overdose
and
they
raise
awareness
to
the
overdose
crisis
and
the
ways
that
community
members
and
partners
can
help
to
prevent
overdose.
A
She
coordinates
both
administrative
and
financial
programming
of
ledgelight
and
also
works
with
Community
Partners
to
coordinate
efforts
to
address
prioritize
health
concerns,
including
the
overdose
crisis,
and
this
is
Margaret
Margaret
Lancaster
is
a
health
program
coordinator
and
peer
Navigator,
Community
Health
worker
at
ledge
light
health
district.
She
has
worked
there
since
2020.
she's,
a
lifelong
resident
of
New
London,
and
she
has
many
ties
to
agencies
and
to
the
community.
A
She
is
a
person
with
lived
experience
and
she
has
committed
herself
to
supporting
and
speaking
on
behalf
of
people
who
have
not
found
their
voice
to
speak
to
the
disparities
that
so
many
face
due
to
oppression
due
to
systematic
barriers
due
to
racial
Injustice,
as
well
as
health
care
inequalities.
It
is
a
pleasure
to
have
you
both
at
Family
Forum.
Welcome.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
B
Well,
opioids
are
a
group
of
medications
or
pain,
relieving
drugs
that
can
be
prescribed
or
they
can
be
non-prescribed
or
a
drug
that
is
purchased.
That's
in
the
community.
One
thing
I
can
say
about
opioids
they
the
way
they
react
to
the
body
is
Through
The,
receptors
and
they're
pain,
relievers.
We
know
that
some
prescribed
are
prescribed,
medications
or
pain
relievers,
so
some
of
those
in
the
category
of
opioids
would
be
Vicodin
oxycodone
morphine
Percocet.
C
One
of
the
things
that
opioids
do
when
they're
sitting
on
our
brain
receptors
is
to
send
the
signal
to
slow
or
stop
our
breathing.
If
there's
too
much
of
the
opioids
sitting
on
the
receptor,
that's
not
to
say
that
happens.
Every
time
there
are,
as
Margaret
mentioned,
pain,
relieving
benefits
to
an
appropriate
dose
of
an
opioid.
A
B
B
C
Way
and
just
to
dive
into
these
Concepts
a
little
more
because
these
are
words
that
may
not
be
familiar
to
Folks
at
home.
The
idea
of
Tolerance
is
actually
our
bodies,
real
biological
response
to
consuming
opioids,
so
opioids
are
a
class
of
drugs
for
which
we
quickly
build
up
a
tolerance
and
that's
why?
C
C
What
happens
when
somebody
goes
through
a
period
of
abstinence
from
consuming
opioids,
which
happens
in
a
number
of
different
settings
and
ways
someone
may
be
incarcerated
and
not
have
access
to
the
drugs
they
were
using
before
someone
may
choose
to
go
into
detox
and
an
abstinence-based
treatment
program,
and
that
means
that
they
are
stopping
all
consumption
of
opioids
right.
That's
what
we
mean
when
we
use
the
word
abstinence
there,
the
tolerance
that
they
very
quickly
built
up
before
also
very
quickly
diminishes.
C
Unfortunately,
if
that
person
does
have
substance,
use
disorder
or
opioid
use
disorder,
the
symptoms
of
the
disorder
haven't
gone
away,
and
so
they
at
some
point
following
the
period
of
abstinence.
It
is
very
likely
based
on
what
we
know
from
Decades
of
following
the
data
and
from
talking
with
so
many
people
in
the
community.
C
A
C
Sure,
and
before
we
talk
of
anything
about
numbers,
we
just
really
want
to
take
a
moment
to
acknowledge
that
it's
important
for
us
to
follow
the
numbers.
It's
important
for
us
to
understand
the
trends,
because
that
does
inform
our
efforts.
It
helps
guide
our
interventions
and
our
Outreach
and
at
the
same
time
you
know
these
These
are
people
in
our
community
and
all
of
the
numbers
that
we
look
at
on.
Our
reports
were
someone
that
mattered.
B
Can
I
just
add
yeah
that
substitute
disorder
is
a
diagnosis,
not
a
moral
failure
and
that's
what
we
also
try
to
make
sure
that
now
that's
one
one
thing
we
need
to
get
out:
we
get
out
to
the
community
trying
to
normalize
the
diagnosis
based
on
any
other
diagnosis.
Someone
has
as
a
medical
condition,
and
that's
that's
one
of
the
other
things
that.
A
C
C
C
We've
had
seven
deaths
so
far
this
year
within
Groton
and
obviously
the
year
is
not
over.
Yet
those
numbers
are
reflective
of
one
town
in
our
region
and,
like
we've
seen
across
Connecticut
and
across
the
country,
then
overdoses
over
the
last
few
years
have
continued
to
climb
within
much
High
Health
District
jurisdiction.
C
B
Well,
I
think
you
know
stigma
and
shame
are
one
of
the
two
leading
causes
for
individuals
not
to
get
help
for
themselves
in
any
way,
shape
or
form
or
reach
out.
So
what
that
being
said,
stigma
and
shame
is
what
is
what
we
we
ask
the
community
to
kind
of
look
at
take
away
the
stigma,
so
individuals
don't
feel
ashamed,
so
they
can
reach
out
to
the
family
members
into
individuals
in
the
community
that
can
assist
them
in
any
resources
that
they
need.
B
We
say,
you
know
we
use
harm
reduction,
approaches
to
to
assisting
individuals
in
our
community,
my
peers
in
the
community.
We
that's
how
we
meet
people
where
they
are
and
if
the
need
is
just
something
as
simple
as
a
pair
of
socks
for
some
food,
we
start
there
it's
about
relationship
building,
it's
about
connection,
it's
about
not
being
outcasts.
You
know
it's
about
being
connected
being
part
of
because
they
still
are
part
of
the
community
and
and
we
want
to
be
able
to
assist
them
and
be
bring
them
in.
B
C
One
of
the
things
that
we
think
is
really
important
when
we're
talking
with
families
is
to
help
them
kind
of
dismantle,
some
of
the
old
frames
and
old
ways
of
thinking
they
might
have
heard
about.
It
can
be
very,
very
challenging
and
we
acknowledge
that
this
isn't
easy
for
anybody
right,
and
it
is
important
when
you're
supporting
someone
in
your
family,
who
is
who
is
struggling
with
substance
use
disorder.
You
know
the
idea
that
you
need
to
take
care
of
yourself.
A
B
On
what
we
have
the
NLC
cares,
and
we
have
the
pure
navigation
that
are
out
in
the
community,
and
those
services
are
basically
through
Southeastern
Connecticut
from
New
London,
all
the
way
to
Rhode
Island
border
into
Stonington
and
as
far
as
Norwich,
and
they
are
available
through
the
NLC
cares
number
and
they
provide.
You
know
many
people
where
they're
at
if
the
harm
reduction
approach
to
meeting
individuals
needs
that
are
specific
to
what
the
individual
requires
and
asks
for
and
again
like
it
could
be
as
one
day
it
could
be.
B
Yes,
today,
I
just
need
food,
but
maybe
there's
an
opportunity
for
them
to
get
connected
to
a
prescribed
prescriber
that
can
help
them
get
awesome.
Medication
for
opioid
use
disorder
or
it
could
be
going
possibly
to
a
detox.
If
that's
what
they're,
choosing
or
going
to
treatment
anything
in
between
it
could
be
a
ride
to
the
doctor's
office.
B
It
could
be
just
a
primary
care,
appointment
or
mental
health
appointment,
but
it's
that
relationship
building
is
what
we
strive
on
making
sure
they
are
connected
with
someone
that
can
assist
them
at
any
given
time
and
what
their
need
is
can
be
met
and
the
resources
come
through.
Nlc
cares,
which
is
collaboration
through
you
know,
lines
for
living
and,
and
also
the
city
of
New,
London
and
legislative
health
district.
B
C
Yeah,
so
we
have
a
supply
of
naloxone
for
Community
distribution.
We
also
have
access
points,
one
at
our
office
in
New
London,
two
in
Waterford
right
now,
working
on
additional
access
points
throughout
the
region
which
are
actually
boxes
mounted
outside
and
people
can
come
up
and
get
a
box
in
naloxone
if
they
can't
be
with
us
during
business
hours
or
are
hesitant
to
have
that
conversation,
because,
as
Margaret
mentioned,
you
know,
shame
and
stigma
really
is-
are
still
big
contributing
factors
for
a
lot
of
people.
C
Another
tool
that
we
have
are
things
called
fentanyl
test
strips
and
they
can
be
used
to
test
whether
a
product
has
fentanyl
in
it
or
not.
We
pretty
much
know
these
days
that
our
heroin
Supply
locally
is
likely
to
have
fentanyl,
but
what's
happening
is
that
fentanyl
is
through
accidental
cross-contamination,
also
showing
up
in
the
supply
of
other
non-opioids
like
cocaine,
and
so
it's
particularly
risky
for
folks
who
are
not
a
regular
opioid
users.
A
B
We
do
not
get
training
for
the
community,
as
Jan
has
mentioned,
we
we
actually
have
gone
out
to
businesses
and
restaurants
and
they've
been
very
receptive
to
getting
the
Nokian
training
churches
as
well.
So
that's
one
thing:
we
do
family
members,
we
have
trained
children
of
of
parents
who
use
substances
because
there's
a
need
for
that.
Anyone
can
learn
how
to
use
Narcan
or
naloxone,
and
it's
administered
through
actually
initial
nasal
spray.
A
That's
great
to
know,
thank
you,
Jen
and
Margaret
for
being
on
the
show.
We
want
to
thank
you
for
spending
time
with
us
at
Family
Forum
and
the
very
important
information
for
our
community,
and
thank
you
everybody
for
watching.
If
you
would
like
more
information
or
support,
please
call
NLC
cares
at.