Suffolk County Enhances ‘Fight Against Heroin Abuse’ Through New Partnerships and Tools

From the Office of County Executive Bellone

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Assistant Deputy County Executive for Public Safety Timothy Sini, along with the Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug and Dependency (LICADD) announced a new county-wide model to provide residents with an alternative to combat heroin and other opiate abuse. Suffolk County’s multi-pronged drug rehabilitation efforts include the integration of the FDA-approved drug, extended-release naltrexone, along with substance abuse treatment.  In 2012 and 2013, there were more than 400 opioid related deaths.

“Our police department has appropriately noted that we cannot arrest our way out of the heroin and opiate epidemic that has affected our nation and our county,” said County Executive Steve Bellone. “We need to come up with long-term and sustainable solutions. That is why Suffolk County has created a multi-pronged approach to addressing heroin and opiate use and abuse.  With the support from various private and public stakeholders, our goal is to save additional lives and reduce the number of substance abuse addictions right here in Suffolk County.”

“This administration has made it a priority to explore and launch new, evidence-based tools in combatting the heroin and opiate epidemic,” said Timothy Sini, Assistant Deputy County Executive for Public Safety.  “We will continue to create new and innovative ways to address this issue.  And we will continue to work with the various county agencies, community groups, and providers to raise awareness and facilitate access to this treatment model to those who need it the most.”

The County Executive formed a working group led by Assistant Deputy County Executive Sini to identify key areas where the FDA-approved drug can be provided when necessary, including for those who are enrolled in the Suffolk County drug court program, defendants on Suffolk County Probation, residents who have been saved by Narcan, inmates released from local jails who have an opioid addiction, and individuals who may be suffering from addiction.

“I applaud the comprehensive action that our County Executive is putting forward,” said Legislator William Spencer.  “There are troubling statistics that are out there that indicate that nearly one person a day is dying on Long Island due to substance abuse and opioid addiction.”

“This (partnership) is how you quell a health epidemic,” said Steven Chassman, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency.  “Physically, psychologically and socially, the disease of opiate dependency is taking a toll on Long Islanders at a rate that we have not before seen.”

In addition, Suffolk County announced a substance abuse ‘peer to peer’ education program with the Sachem School District, which will launch Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Sachem High School East Auditorium.  The program is designed to provide a platform for students to speak about substance abuse related issues to fellow peers. This program coincides with the County’s partnership with the Rocky Point School, which featured a public service announcement to educate parents about the rising epidemic.

The County previously launched the Suffolk County Narcan Pilot program, which provided various licensed health care professionals and emergency service responders with the drug, Narcan, to help save lives.  Suffolk County also administers a state-registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Program having conducted over 65  classes, collectively training 1,763 non-traditional responders, including town and village police, probation officers, school district personnel, peer support/addiction/recovery specialists, Veteran’s Services, advocacy groups, and the general lay public.  In 2014, the County also provided more than 120 licensed physicians with new training pertaining to prescription drugs and narcotics to identify potential misuse or overuse.

Photo Above: Patrice Dlhopolsky, Director of Suffolk County Probation, Edward Gialella, Program Coordinator of the Suffolk County Drug Court, Art Flescher, Suffolk County Department of Health, Assistant Deputy County Executive & Former Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Sini, Vincent DeMarco, Sheriff of Suffolk County, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Legislator William Spencer, Jeffrey Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer of Family and Children’s Association, Steven Chassman, LCSW, CASAC, Executive Director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, also known as LICADD