On Feb. 11, vice president of student affairs and dean of students Dr. Lee Peters informed the University of Hartford community via email of the rise in heroin use and overdoses in the surrounding Hartford area.

“Today, I write to make you aware of an alarming rise in heroin use and overdoses in our surrounding area,” Peters wrote in the email. “The University has a strict policy against illegal drug use and offers services for those who have substance problems.”

The email comes after a rising heroin epidemic in the state of Connecticut. A two-day summit was held Feb. 15–16 in New London, Conn. with Michael Botticelli, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, police officials and representatives from community groups.

The Connecticut state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported that 2015 saw twice as many deaths caused by heroin overdoses than it did three years earlier. Overall, there were 723 deaths in Connecticut from heroin, cocaine or other drugs. Of those deaths, 415 were heroin-related, an increase of 27 percent from 2014.

There have already been numerous heroin-related incidents in the Hartford area since the beginning of the new year. At the end of January, the Hartford Police Department seized more than 1,200 bags of heroin in a raid on Bellevue Street. in Hartford. A few days later, they arrested a 36-year-old convicted felon after he was found in possession of 2,694 bags of heroin. Last week, police also seized over 500 bags of heroin, 50 grams of cocaine and numerous packaging materials at a home in East Hartford.

The email alerts also come after a reported incident that occurred Feb. 9 in the Konover Campus Center in which a woman was found unconscious and unresponsive in the restroom with a hypodermic needle and five bags of heroin. The woman was taken to Saint Francis Hospital where she was stabilized and then questioned for further information, according to Public Safety.

The woman arrived on campus in a cab with a man who fled the scene by foot once Public Safety had arrived two minutes after they received a call that reported the incident. Both the man and woman are confirmed to not be University of Hartford students.

“If you or anyone you know uses heroin or has any other addiction, please seek help immediately,” Peters also wrote in the email. “And remember, if you discover someone in distress, call Public Safety immediately.”

Public Safety can be contacted at 860-768-7777.

The email lists campus services such as Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services and Connections Health Education and Wellness. Other resources listed were Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, MedlinePlus: Heroin Overdose and StopOverdose.org.

The post Heroin epidemic rises in Hartford appeared first on The Hartford Informer.