11/13/2019
As the national fight against opioid deaths and harm rages on, Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood has become the state of Connecticut’s “Ground Zero”. Boasting the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths, disproportionate amounts of drug-related activity, and high rates of HIV infection, advocates have rallied together to propose that a “Harm Reduction Center” be placed in the community.
The advocates have identified two, currently shuttered parcels on Park St., as potential sites for the Frog Hollow “Harm Reduction Center” and have pointed to the nationally-recognized model that the Greater Hartford Harm Reduction Coalition Inc. has employed at their 557 Albany Avenue location dubbed The Drop Resource Centers By GHHRC.
“Our priority is saving lives,” said GHHRC’s founder and Executive Director Mark Jenkins.“We have the experience, expertise, wherewithal and the trust of the community. We know that proximity and connection are key to saving lives and reversing the debilitating effects of addiction. We’ve me with Mayor Bronin, the head of the Hartford Department of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner of the State Department of Public Health, leadership of Hartford Hospital, the Frog Hollow NRZ, and so many others and now we’re asking the City Council for its help and support in saving lives.”
Here, Frog Hollow residents GHHRC founder and Executive Director, Mark Jenkins and Dr. Robin Deutsch speak to the public about their efforts.
