PRESS RELEASE
June 21, 2018
Contact: Connie Conway
(631) 702-1743
Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force Makes Recommendations To The Town Board
After 8 months of meetings, public forums data gathering the Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force is making a number of recommendations to address the Opioid Crisis in the Town and on Eastern Long Island. The Task Force was created in October 2017 when the number of opioid deaths were rising. There were 19 deaths in 2017, almost 4 times the number from the year before.
The Task force is made up 42 people from the community and includes medical professionals, educators, law enforcement officials and people in recovery.
Some of the recommendations include:
- Support Prevention Education in the schools and community
- Create a new parent/guardian education program, signs to look for
- Facilitate prescriber education on addiction for medical professionals
- Maintain Town multidisciplinary coalition that includes youth: offer school credit
- Create indoor public venue for winter events-youth socialization
- Create marketing campaign about resources available
- Develop regional transportation services
- Establish an East End THRIVE not further west than Riverhead, Stony Brook Southampton Campus or Gabreski Airport
- Create an education campaign to help remove the stigma of a 12 step program
- Request all businesses working with the Town of Southampton have insurance policies supporting the parity act for substance and mental health benefits, i.e: co-pay cancer
- Create a Mental Health and Substance Abuse dedicated phone line for insurance denials
- Continue coordinated sharing efforts with the Southampton Police Department and other area departments tracking OD cases
- Continue “Bridge the Gap” program, that voluntarily links people revived with Narcan to the Treatment subcommittee to facilitate long term care
- Create marketing campaign for “Good Samaritan Law”
- Develop Public Awareness campaign for parents, “Look in the mirror”, how to talk to your children and expose dangers of addiction
- Enlist SCCC to advocate careers for certified recovery coaches and sober companions
- Recommend the State create sober dorms at Stony Brook Southampton Campus
- Facilitate more sober housing but recommend the state enforce codes
- Create funding for alternatives to child care while in treatment
Now that the 1st phase of this effort is completed, the Town Board will review the recommendations presented and evaluate which of them can be effectively implemented.
Task Force Recommendations Slide Show
