Recovery-Friendly Community
The Town of Simsbury is proud to be working toward recognition as a Recovery-Friendly Community. We are supporting those residents who are in recovery from a substance use disorder by 1) raising awareness of the nature of such conditions, 2) promoting health and recovery by reducing stigma and discrimination, and 3) building or improving the environmental factors necessary for "recoverees" to flourish. Expected benefits of a Recovery-Friendly community may be reduced substance use; reduced overdoses; reduced crime; an improved community sense of compassion, humanity and citizenship; and positive statewide visibility.
Recovery Champion
The Recovery Champion is an individual or organization appointed by the Board of Selectmen who leads Town-wide efforts toward becoming “Recovery-Friendly.” Simsbury’s Recovery Champion is “A Promise to Jordan”, an area non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of substance use disorders, helping erase their stigma, assisting individuals with accessing quality care, and giving hope that recovery is possible. The Recovery Champion is committed to supporting recovery from substance use disorders by developing and monitoring community enhancements that support long-term recovery. The Champion works closely with department heads, faith leaders, youth and persons in recovery, and social service organizations to meet Recovery-Friendly designation criteria.
Local Prevention Council
The role of the Local Prevention Council is to support the Recovery Champion’s initiatives through advocacy and other forms of outreach.
Our Town departments and services are committed to recovery-friendly initiatives, examples of which are below.
Culture, Parks and Recreation
The Town’s Culture, Parks, and Recreation Department is active in hosting recovery-friendly activities and events.
Police and Fire Department
Police and Fire Department personnel encourage treatment and other recovery approaches and are knowledgeable about local resources. Responders to mental health calls are urged to reach out directly to follow-up on cases whenever possible. Personnel are cognizant that substance misuse and possession should be understood as an issue of public health rather than enforcement.
Social Services
The Social Services Department ensures that food, clothing and other basic supports are readily available for those dealing with substance misuse and for those in recovery. Residents can access services through the department’s main page, located here: https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/social-services
Individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and/or Substance Use Disorders (SUD) who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to apply for various forms of support through a block grant from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). This grant covers expenses for areas such as short-term supported recovery housing, utilities, security deposits, and furniture/appliance purchases. To learn more about the DMHAS block grant opportunities, visit their page at this address: http://www.abhct.com/Programs_Services/COVID-19-Block-Grant-Recovery-Program-BGRP-/
Workplace Education
The Town’s Human Resources department provides addiction and recovery awareness training for new staff orientation and offers Employee Assistance Plan services.
School Programs
A Promise to Jordan is a local organization that can provide awareness, education and resources.
State Education Resource Center (SERC) offers a free self-paced online course for administrators and educators to develop their substance misuse education programming. This information can be found here: https://ctserc.org/about/serc-programs/dmhas
Community Attitudes
The Local Prevention Council will work alongside Simsbury Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Partnership to ensure the following:
- Businesses are open to hiring people in recovery, and advertise as such.
- Community organizations are open to providing volunteer opportunities for people in recovery.
- Community supports formerly incarcerated individuals.
Other Resources
Emergency Department Recovery Coaches
The Connecticut Council of Addiction and Recovery operates the Emergency Department Recovery Coach program in more than twenty Connecticut hospital emergency rooms. These skilled professionals help patients and family members start and stabilize recovery. The closest hospitals to Simsbury that have ED Recovery Coaches are Hartford Hospital and St. Francis. For more information please visit the State of CT’s page: https://portal.ct.gov/DMHAS/Initiatives/DMHAS-Initiatives/Emergency-Department-Recovery-Coach-Services.
Telephone and Transportation Support
The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) has established the 24/7 Access Line to facilitate access to treatment for substance use disorders. Individuals from anywhere in Connecticut may call for help connecting with residential detox.
The Access Line is able to prioritize transportation services for detox. The Access Line may also be able to arrange transportation to DMHAS addiction residential treatment (although transportation services are prioritized for detox).
https://portal.ct.gov/DMHAS/Programs-and-Services/Finding-Services/Transportation
State of CT Access Line: (800) 563-4086
Peer Support and Mutual Aid Groups
Peer support and mutual aid groups are an integral part of the recovery process. Below are resources for support groups that assist addiction recovery and groups focused on grief recovery.
Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org/
Find an Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting near you.
Please click here
Find an AlaTeen Meeting near you:
https://www.ctalanon.org/meetings/alateen-meetings-by-town
Find a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting near you:
https://ctna.org/find-a-meeting/
Recovery Housing within 20 miles of Simsbury
A Fortress – Manchester, CT. 860-899-4393 (Men only)
A Vision of Hope – Bristol, CT. 860-983-2374 (Women only)
Broken to Blessed – Hartford, CT. 860-462-3001
Coram Deo – New Britain, CT. 860-348-3486 (Women only)
Fresh Start Properties – Bristol, CT. 860-890-5835 (Men only)
Gateway Recovery House – Torrington, CT. 860-215-2036 (Men only)
Intercommunity Recovery House – Hartford, CT. 860-569-5900, ext. 668
Live and Recover, LLC – East Hartford, CT. 860-577-3234 (Men Only)
Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation Recovery House – Hartford, CT. 860-808-2115 (Women only)
New Horizons Living Center – Bristol, CT and Torrington, CT. 860-584-2105
New Life II – New Britain, CT. 860-371-8271 (Men only)
Sober Solutions – Manchester, CT. 860-533-9500
Vita Pulita House – New Britain, CT. 860-518-1963 (Men only) Grief Recovery Support Groups
Grief Recovery Support Groups
Grasp Help: http://grasphelp.org/community/meetings/united-states-chapters/connecticut/
Tri Circle, Inc. https://tricircleinc.com/service/support-groups/
Grief Counselor List: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/groups/grief/connecticut
CT 211 Grief Support Group List https://www.211ct.org/search?terms=General%20Bereavement%20Support%20Gro...
For additional family education and support, A Promise to Jordan provides information on the family education and support groups in the area. Please visit their page to learn more: https://www.apromisetojordan.org/support-groups-and-meetings
Faith-Based Recovery Resources
The Recovery Champion collaborates with local religious leaders to ensure that faith-based recovery resources are easily accessible. All of Simsbury’s faith-based organizations are available as recovery resources. For help, please contact your organization of choice and ask about their Recovery-Friendly Community efforts. To locate a place of worship in Simsbury, visit https://www.simsbury-ct.gov/tourism/pages/places-of-worship
Workplace Resources
If your workplace is interested in learning what they can do to support Recovery efforts, the Recovery Works CT page is a perfect place to start. https://www.recoveryworksct.org/
Physicians
This locator allows you to easily find physicians that can prescribe medication for substance use disorders.
Pharmacies
Below is a list of pharmacies in Simsbury that have Narcan available:
CVS Pharmacy, 714 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury, CT 06070 - Prescription required
Simsbury Pharmacy, 1418 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury, CT 06070 - Prescription required
Stop & Shop, 498 Bushy Hill Rd, Simsbury, CT 06070 - No prescription required
Walgreens Pharmacy, 540 Bushy Hill Rd, Simsbury, CT 06070 - Prescription required
All of these pharmacies will train a customer on the proper use of Narcan.