For years, Connecticut families have read overdose numbers as a single statewide figure. As of this month, they can look up their own town. A new dashboard from the Connecticut Department of Public Health shows where overdose deaths are happening, updated every month, and it gives families something statewide totals never could: a local picture of the risk.
Connecticut’s Department of Public Health launched an online dashboard on October 21, 2026 that shows unintentional overdose deaths by town and region, updated monthly with data back to 2016. Deaths fell from a 2021 peak of 1,530 to 836 in 2025. For families, the local view shows where risk is concentrated, not whether one person is safe.
On October 21, 2026, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) released the Report on Connecticut Unintentional Overdose Deaths, an online dashboard built by its Injury and Violence Surveillance team. It lets anyone view fatal overdose data for the whole state, for a single town, or for a County Equivalent Planning Region, a grouping of nearby towns used for planning. The data refreshes monthly, and yearly totals reach back to 2016.
DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani put the purpose plainly: "Good local data can help save lives."
Connecticut has made real progress since the worst of the crisis. According to reporting from Connecticut Public and Medical Daily:
Fewer deaths is good news. It is not the same as safety for any one family. Even at 2025 levels, Connecticut lost more than two people a day to overdose, and every one of those numbers was somebody's son, mother, or brother.
The dashboard was designed for health departments, town leaders, and prevention groups. Families can still get a lot from it if they read it with the right questions in mind.
Step one
Look at your town and the towns around it. People rarely use only where they live. Your region's numbers often tell you more than your zip code's.
Step two
Watch the direction, not one month. Small towns can swing from month to month. A pattern over several updates is more meaningful than a single spike.
Step three
Use the naloxone map. The dashboard shows pharmacies in each county that stock naloxone, which is sold over the counter as a nasal spray. If someone you love uses opioids, or uses pills or powders that could be laced with fentanyl, keep it at home and in the car.
Step four
Let the data start a conversation, not end one. A falling number in your town does not mean your loved one is safe. What you see at home is the data that matters most.
“Families tell us they kept waiting for things to get bad enough to act. Town-level data can help a family see that the risk is real where they live, not just somewhere else in the state. That can be the push that turns worry into a plan.”
Brad Garraway, NCIP, NCRC, Founder, Clear Path Intervention
No single sign proves a problem, and every person is different. Families often describe patterns like these before they reach out:
Our guide on signs a loved one needs an intervention walks through these in more depth. If fentanyl is part of the picture, read our fentanyl family guide and intervention for fentanyl use.
Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose, and every Connecticut family touched by opioids should have it. It does not treat the addiction underneath. Many families keep a kit in the kitchen drawer for months while hoping their loved one will decide to get help on their own. Our article on why rock bottom is a dangerous myth explains why waiting often makes things harder, not easier.
A professionally led intervention is designed for a person who is resistant to help. It gives the family a structured plan, a treatment placement arranged in advance, and support for what comes after. You can read how it works in what is a professional intervention.
“When a Connecticut family calls, the first conversation is about them, not paperwork. We want to understand what is happening at home, who is involved, and how urgent it feels. From there we can talk through whether an intervention is the right next step.”
Chip Burson, Director of Operations, Clear Path Intervention
It is published by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and linked from the DPH announcement of October 21, 2026, listed in the sources below. It is free and public.
Monthly. Recent months are preliminary and may change as death investigations are completed.
No. Town totals describe a population, not a person. Signs of escalating use at home are a more reliable guide than any local statistic.
Call 911 in an emergency. The DMHAS ACCESS Line, 1-800-563-4086, helps with access to addiction treatment. Call 211 for local health and human services, or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Clear Path Intervention works with families in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, Waterbury, and every town in between. Learn more about our professional interventionists in Connecticut, or call (850) 563-9776 for a confidential conversation.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
This article is for education and is not medical advice. Clear Path Intervention does not accept compensation from treatment centers. See our editorial policy.
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