John Hamilton - who heads up the Bridgeport nonprofit Liberation Programs - issued a public health alert Tuesday in the wake of a spike in fatal overdoses. "I informed my staff to get the word out to all of the people served by this organization that we are in the middle of a public health emergency, and they need to work with us to prevent any further loss of life," Hamilton told News 12. According to the Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive (SWORD) - a state-mandated, real-time reporting mechanism for opioid overdoses in Connecticut - 22 people have died statewide over the past 72 hours, with five of those deaths occurring in Fairfield County. State Sen. Herron Gaston says he asked Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday to address the situation. "This is a public health crisis and an emergency. We need to alert the public - especially folks who are using illicit drugs - because experts are telling us that this sudden spike in fatal overdoses is likely the result of a bad batch of drugs that's entered our state and is killing our residents," Gaston said. Hamilton says two factors have contributed to the spike: the sudden appearance of a new illicit drug called medetomidine and a sudden spike in the purity of fentanyl appearing in drugs his organization tests as part of a safety system designed to prevent fatal overdoses. "We use a drug analyzer so people can bring their drugs to us, and we can test them before they use them - and we also use this same system to track the chemical makeup of drugs appearing in this area," Hamilton said. "Bottom line - this is a public health emergency, and we all need to act together in the service of the public good. Inaction is not an option," Hamilton said.