Grant Addresses Substance Misuse through City Partnership

April 2024 - Published in: 2024 Spring Newsletter - In Connecticut, residents are more likely to die from an unintentional drug overdose than a motor vehicle accident. The Opioid Epidemic is a crisis not just in the state and nationally, but in the city of Bristol. A grant made in 2023 will help to revitalize COBRA, the City of Bristol Recovery Alliance, which was formed in 2016 in response to the disproportionate number of opioid deaths in the city. This partnership brings together the City of Bristol, the police department, and Bristol Health to provide substance misuse recovery services. Bristol Health was awarded a $3,500 grant from MSCF’s Pat and Bob Wollenberg Family Fund for the purchase of marketing materials to educate the public and help move the program forward.

COBRA supports citizens of Bristol who are struggling with substance misuse in a variety of ways, including reducing barriers to treatment options, reducing return visits to the emergency department, diminishing suicide ideation in the community, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Additionally, if someone is under the influence, they can ask to participate in the COBRA program and they will be transported to an emergency room to speak with a crisis worker.

Jeff Caggiano, Mayor of Bristol, stated that “the partnership between our local hospital, Bristol Health, and our Bristol Police Department provides hope to those struggling with substance abuse (as well as their families) with an alternative to arrest and incarceration. Thank you to all our first responders and healthcare personnel that are making recovery more likely through this program here in Bristol.”

While the COBRA program has been available for several years now, its utilization and recognition has declined, which is why investing in the marketing materials to bring awareness to the program was so important to MSCF. Lisa Coates, Director of Practice Administration at Bristol Health, stated, “Bristol Health, on behalf of the COBRA team, is extremely grateful for the grant that the Main Street Community Foundation has awarded us. With this funding we will be able to print material to aid in supplementing the training for the police department, EMS, medical staff and other emergency responders on ways to help those in need access this program. We will also be able to print resources for first responders and medical staff to leave with individuals who might not be ready for recovery just yet.”