Danbury-based MCCA was recently awarded three grants totaling to help the agency meet the growing need for opiate treatment in their New Milford outpatient clinic.  The grants awarded to MCCA total $22,500. 

Officials say the heroin epidemic has been sweeping across the state and New Milford has been hit particularly hard.  In Connecticut, heroin-related deaths skyrocketed from 174 in 2012, to 325 in 2014.  Those figures come from a report by the state medical examiner. 

MCCA says about 80% of their clients in Intensive Outpatient groups at the New Milford clinic are opiate dependent, and 45% of overall clients are being treated for opiates.  MCCA is one of the largest providers of substance abuse treatment in Connecticut. 

MCCA has co-sponsored two Narcan trainings in the past four months.  Narcan can immediately reverse an opiate overdose and save a life.