“Raising awareness of a public health crisis”
By Senator Tom O'Mara
If, as we so often say, raising awareness is an absolute cornerstone of
combatting the heroin and opioid epidemic ravaging too many lives across
America, then last week was a hopeful, positive, and productive week across
the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions.
Public forums focusing on the epidemic – how to recognize it, prevent it,
respond to it, and treat it – were held in Chemung, Steuben, and Yates
counties. Raising awareness is fundamental work. It’s difference making. I
can’t do enough to commend and encourage all of the local law enforcement,
education, government, health care, media, and civic leaders undertaking
it. To say nothing of every concerned citizen engaged in this battle.
Additionally last week, there were the official openings of the TC Commons
Youth Clubhouse in Elmira and a new recovery center in Binghamton – both
coming on the heels of recently announced new funding to expand treatment
services in Tompkins and Yates counties.
Last Saturday, regional law enforcement agencies participated in another
“National Drug Take-Back Day” to operate numerous drop-off centers allowing
for the safe and responsible disposal of unused prescription drugs. Another
critical piece of the response strategy. Prescription drug abuse is, in so
many ways, directly responsible for the burgeoning heroin crisis.
In fact, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
identifies prescription drug abuse as one of the nation’s fastest-growing
abuse problems with nearly 15,000 annual overdose deaths attributable to
prescription painkillers.
Moreover, this epidemic recognizes no boundaries. The CDC last week
reported that overdose death rates in rural areas of the country are now
higher than in cities. According to the just-released findings: In 2015,
drug overdose was the leading cause of injury-related death in the United
States -- with 52,000 fatalities attributed to opioid painkillers, heroin,
and other potentially deadly drugs. In 1999, drug overdose death rates were
6.4 per 100,000 in urban regions and four per 100,000 in rural areas. By
2015, the rate was 17 per 100,000 in rural areas and 16.2 per 100,000 in
cities.
In short, we all need to be aware of what’s occurring.
The New York State Senate created our Task Force on Heroin and Opioid
Addiction in 2014. While our work has helped develop and enact important
new laws, services, and other responses, the heroin and opioid crisis has
grown increasingly urgent. The input we continue to receive from the local
front lines of this public health and safety crisis has targeted the
necessary responses. Nevertheless, there can be no let up, at any level.
This epidemic poses far too great a risk to overwhelm and destroy
individual lives, families, and entire communities, along with local
systems of health care, law enforcement, criminal justice, and social
services.
This year’s state budget includes nearly $215 million in new funding to
establish state-operated addiction treatment centers, enhance
community-based providers, and expand other programs and services,
including law enforcement. The Senate this year also continued to act on a
comprehensive legislative response, which I co-sponsor as a member of the
task force. We will keep working to build on existing state-level laws and
programs enacted over the past several years to strengthen awareness and
education, prevention, and treatment and recovery.
Awareness and education, and prevention and treatment are fundamental
responses. Tough laws and law enforcement are too, especially when it comes
to heroin traffickers and dealers. I agree that we will never arrest our
way out of this crisis, but we should not hesitate to throw the book at the
pushers and suppliers of these deadly drugs.
CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald said, "We need to understand why this is
happening so that our work with states and communities can help stop
illicit drug use and overdose deaths in America."
This critical work of understanding moved forward in the Southern Tier and
Finger Lakes last week. That is at least some bright news in an
overwhelmingly dark state of affairs.
