Data Toolbox
For the benefit of the interested public, researchers, policymakers, and others, relevant data sources for the state of Connecticut are summarized on this page, which is periodically updated as new resources become available. This list is not a comprehensive accounting of all prospectively relevant data sources. Questions about these data should be directed to their respective managing agencies. You will also find figures from the 2024 CORE Report on this page, along with explanations of each figure and source information.
- Connecticut Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive (SWORD)Maintained by the Connecticut Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services. Monthly report of non-fatal opioid overdose trends in the state of Connecticut based on reports from emergency medical service providers. Close to real-time analysis of changes in demographics, geographic distribution, or other attributes of emergency medical services calls for overdose events.
- Connecticut State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) DashboardMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Health. Interactive dashboard with maps, year-over-year statistics reporting out information on unintentional fatal overdoses in the state broken down by location, demographics, date, and drug types involved.
- Connecticut Department of Health Opioid and Drug Overdose StatisticsMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Health, Office of Injury Prevention. Location of multiple sources of opioid-related data reporting from the Connecticut Department of Health including the Monthly Drug Overdose Death Report, CT SUDORS Dashboard, CDC SUDORS Dashboard and Infographic, EpiCenter Syndromic Surveillance System, and others.
- Connecticut Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) Accidental Poisoning StatisticsMaintained by the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Data on unintentional fatal overdoses investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner with breakdown of statistics by demographics, drug types involved, and location of death.
- Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System Data, Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) StatisticsMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Data on controlled substance prescriptions filled in Connecticut including partial agonist opioids used for treatment of opioid use disorder (buprenorphine), full agonist opioids (oxycodone, hydromorphone, etc.), and benzodiazepines. Reports out differences in dispensed controlled substances over time and regions (town-level) by prescription classes.
- Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Annual Statistical Data ReportingMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Collection of annual statistical reports on services provided in the state for mental health and addiction reported to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Includes reporting of inpatient services for addiction and methadone maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder.
- Connecticut Behavioral Health PartnershipMaintained by the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership. Website for partnership between Connecticut’s Department of Social Services, Department of Children and Families, and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to provide integrated behavioral health system for Medicaid beneficiaries and member organizations. Website includes utilization reports, publications, and presentations regarding efforts by BHP to improve quality and access to opioid use disorder care in the state.
- Connecticut Department of Social Services Data and DashboardsMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Includes annual reports of aggregated data on behavioral health, including addiction and opioid use disorder, services provided by CT Medicaid/Husky (HEDIS Behavioral Health Report).
- Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy CouncilMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Body created by Connecticut statute to develop recommendations to address substance use related priorities from all state agencies. Website includes triennial report of activities and actions from agencies in the state to address substance use (included opioid use) in the state.
- Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory CommitteeMaintained by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Body created by Connecticut statute to develop and enact policies for distributing funds received by the state due to litigation by the Attorney General against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and other entities. Website includes minutes of meetings, list of committee members, reports on distribution of funds to date, and bylaw/processes for distributing funds and considering proposals.
Figures from the 2024 CORE Report
Opioid Overdose Death Rate, Connecticut, 2017
In data from Connecticut, individuals receiving OUD treatment with either methadone or buprenorphine reduced their risk of fatal overdose compared to those not receiving any addiction treatment (39% reduction with methadone, 34% reduction with buprenorphine). These results are consistent with analyses in other states, other countries, and within high-risk subpopulations.
Source: Heimer R, Black A, Lin H, Grau LE, Fiellin DA, Howell BA, Hawk K, D’Onofrio G, Becker WC. Receipt of opioid use disorder treatments prior to fatal overdoses and comparison to no treatment in Connecticut, 2016–17. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024; 254 (111040).
Unduplicated Recipients of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (Methadone or Buprenorphine) in the State of Connecticut, 2012-2021
The number of individuals receiving methadone increased in the state substantially between 2012 (14,000) and 2017 (21,000), but there have been minimal increases since that time. (Figure 2) Similarly, the estimated number of individuals receiving buprenorphine increased in the state substantially between 2015 (21,000) and 2020 (30,000), with only modest increases since that time. There is less data on the proportion of people who are retained on either methadone or buprenorphine long-term. There are no reliable estimates of the number of people in the state at risk for overdose who would benefit from treatment with MOUD. Nonetheless, the rising number of opioid overdoses indicates there is an unmet need for these treatments in the state.
Source: Methadone treatment data displayed in this figure is sourced from the ADPC 2022 Substance Use Triennial Report and Hsiu-Ju Lin, PhD (DMHAS, University of Connecticut School of Social Work). Buprenorphine treatment data reflects an estimate based on DEA Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders (ARCOS) reporting of buprenorphine shipments to the state. Some percentage of unduplicated recipients of buprenorphine may reflect diagnoses or applications other than OUD (e.g., pain management).
Access as Measured by Travel Time, Driving (a) or Mass Transit (b), to At Least One Opioid Treatment Program in the State of Connecticut
These maps reflect an analysis of transportation access to opioid treatment programs (OTPs) in the state. This analysis estimates both the average weekday morning car-based and the mass transit (bus or train) travel time to at least one OTP from all points in the state. The gradations in color (yellow-to-red) represent cut-offs for travel time (i.e., 0-15 mins, 15-30 mins, etc.). In the map representing mass transit travel times, the bulk of the state is represented in gray, which reflects locations in the state that do not have ready access to mass transit. There are markers for each OTP in the state (blue mark) and overdose deaths (black dots) in the state. The overdose deaths have been geo-masked to obscure the actual location of the fatality. To account for density of unmet need for methadone treatment, we also estimated the average car-based and mass-transit based travel time from the location of all 1,018 opioid-involved overdose fatalities that occurred in 2019 to at least one OTP. This analysis demonstrated relatively good car-based access to OTPs, with the average travel time from the location of an overdose fatality to at least one OTP being 9 minutes and the vast majority of overdose locations (83%) being less than 15 minutes from an OTP. Mass-transit based access was much worse. The average mass-transit travel time to at least one OTP was 75 minutes and OTPs were inaccessible by mass-transit (no mass transit options at all) from one quarter of locations. Among
Partial Opioid Agonist Rate Per 1,000 Connecticut Residents, Quarter 3, 2023
The best estimates of geographic variation in buprenorphine prescribing in Connecticut come from yearly data from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reporting system on shipments of buprenorphine42 and publicly reported data from the DCP from the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring and Reporting System (CPMRS), otherwise known as the Connecticut Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Analysis of the DEA data found that shipments of buprenorphine to the state increased throughout the state from 2016 to 2022, but increases were unevenly distributed. Zip codes in the greater New Haven area and those in the eastern part of the state around New London and Norwich receive more buprenorphine per capita than other regions of the state. There have also been larger year-over-year increases in shipments of buprenorphine to the New London/Norwich area than in any other part of the state. This variation is reflected in publicly reported PDMP data from the DCP. These data demonstrate higher per capita buprenorphine prescription rates in the eastern part of the state, but also highlight towns in Litchfield County with similarly high per capita buprenorphine prescription rates. Data from the DEA and DCP should be interpreted with the understanding that buprenorphine can also be prescribed for the treatment of pain. We cannot distinguish in these datasets between receipt of buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD versus pain.
Source: Map generated by Junghwan Kim, PhD (Virginia T