Delaware invests millions to fight drug addiction

Right now it’s just bare walls and wires, but within the month, a building in the middle of a strip mall in Harrington will be a detoxification center for people fighting addiction.

It’s called Connections and it’s a much needed resource for those in central and lower Delaware. Wednesday Governor Jack Markell announced $4.45 million in state funding to go towards addiction treatment. However, it’s not just at connections, but throughout Delaware. The goal is to help save lives.

Governor Markell says, “That’s what this is all about. We have an epidemic and we need to get better every single year.”

In 2014,185 Delawareans died from drug overdoses, most of them from heroin and prescription painkillers. That averages out to one Delawarean dying from an overdose every other day.  In addition to that, close to 10,000 adults sought state-funded treatment for addiction.

Rita Langraf, the Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Health and Social Services says, “It really was resonating in my mind that this disease does not discriminate. It doesn’t discriminate with even age with the youngest being the age of 15 and the oldest being the age of 87.”  

Much of the money will go toward doubling the number of sober-living residential beds to one-hundred twenty. They’re for addicts who have recovered, but want to live in a place away from the influences like old social circles which could tempt them to relapse. The funding also increases the number residential beds for young adults who are still recovering in treatment. The money will also go towards those struggling to manage withdrawal symptoms. They can get that care at Connections under medical supervision.

Catherine McKay, the President and CEO of Connections says, “A lot of the people that will work here are going to be people in recovery themselves. They will have gone through it themselves and know how to help people. We’re really excited about that.”

This multi-million dollar funding was approved for the 2016 fiscal budget which began last month.