CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN FOR 3/15/2018 REGISTER STAR
HEROIN & OPIOID TASK FORCE
On Wednesday, February 28, I had the privilege of presenting testimony to the New York State Senate Task Force Public Hearing on Heroin & Opioid Addiction hosted at Columbia-Greene Community College by Senator Kathy Marchione, who also serves on the task force. Senator Marchione, who represents New York Senate District 43, which includes Columbia County, deserves kudos for meeting this issue head on. We all appreciate her efforts.
Among those offering testimony that evening were Sheriff David Bartlett, Columbia County Court Judge Jonathan Nichols, Scott Bowman from the Valatie Rescue Squad, county EMS Coordinator PH Keeler, as well as other county officials and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery specialists. This week and in my next column, I would like to highlight some of the comments made during the hearing, which offer the varying perspectives experienced by the different departments and agencies.
While pointing out some of the areas I’ve covered previously in this space, I noted at the hearing that the county Board of Supervisors has adopted a resolution authorizing the county to commence a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies manufacturing opioids. There is a strong body of thought that these companies, through their marketing practices and other techniques, essentially ignited the opioid pandemic. Clearly, fighting this scourge is a burden to taxpayers in multiple ways.
On a related note, Governor Cuomo’s proposed 2018-19 state budget includes a budget proposal to tax opioid manufacturers presumably for the same reasons county governments are taking legal action. I have several concerns with this, one being my suspicion that this tax will likely be passed down to consumers. More importantly, though, should the tax be approved, the subsequent revenue raised is not earmarked for new prevention, treatment and recovery services that are so desperately needed. I believe these revenues should be dedicated to fund new school-based prevention education programs in Columbia and other counties. Funds should be dedicated to improving access to treatment. Funds should be dedicated to opening a Recovery Community Center in Columbia County and other communities that do not currently have Centers.
Columbia County Director of Human Services/Mental Health Center Michael Cole stated a number of key facts that may be going overlooked. Among these are that the American life span has decreased due to deaths from opiates, 68% of jail inmates have a substance abuse disorder (SUD), and 78 United States citizens die each day from opiates. In addition, in 2016 there were 13 opioid-related deaths in Columbia County, and, since 2010, there has been a threefold increase in U.S. heroin-related deaths.
“Individuals impacted by opiate abuse are our family members, our friends, our church congregants, and in some cases, ourselves,” Cole told the hearing. “No single solution will provide meaningful relief to the problem at hand and, as such, simultaneous multi-prong partial solutions must be implemented to achieve maximum results.”
Cole offered an 18-point list of current needs for addressing the opioid situation, including the need for the federal government to step up with “funds to be committed for research to expand our knowledge of SUD cause, risk factors, risk mitigation strategies, and effective screening, treatment and long-term disease management models.”
Part one of two.