District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Borough President Vito J. Fossella, Members of the Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force to Release Final Report, Announce Findings and Recommendations for Urgently Needed Action to Save Lives and Address America’s Most Pressing Crisis
Report Details 13 Recommendations for Immediate and Long-Term Action Needed from Local, State, and Federal Government to Enable Law Enforcement, Treatment, Health Care, and Education Professionals, and Families Impacted by Addiction and Overdose to Tackle the Challenges Posed by the Drug Epidemic
Note: This article will be updated next week with additional information and answers to questions provided to several members of the task force.
Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, Staten Island Borough President Vito J. Fossella, and members of the Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force released their “Final Report and Recommendations for Action.”
The report, compiled after six meetings held over a 12-week period beginning in October 2023, details 13 recommendations to enhance New York’s ability to respond to the drug crisis, which claimed the lives of more Americans in 2023 than ever before, over 110,000 people among which were more than 150 Staten Islanders.
Fentanyl, significantly more powerful than heroin and morphine, is now present in approximately 80% of these overdoses, and is mixed into nearly all street drugs on the black market today.
The Task Force was formed by District Attorney McMahon and Borough President Fossella after Governor Hochul inexplicably vetoed legislation sponsored by former Staten Island elected officials Assemblyman Michael Cusick and Senator Diane Savino to form a statewide Fentanyl Task Force which passed both houses of the legislature unanimously in 2022. “The fentanyl crisis is the challenge of our lifetimes, and it is long past time for the whole of government, the non-profit sector, our health care systems, law enforcement, and the people impacted most to urgently work together to implement the solutions needed to save lives” said District Attorney McMahon.
“Over the past several years, news coverage and public awareness of the drug epidemic have faded into the background as crime, COVID-19, cultural debates, politics, and other distractions have stolen the spotlight from a life and death problem that claimed the lives of more Americans in 2023 than ever before.
“Frankly, if this many Americans died of any other cause, a full-scale response would have commenced long ago. The Staten Island Fentanyl Task Force is unwilling to allow the drug epidemic to take a backseat in our public and political discourse, and is unwilling to accept that record-high drug overdoses are something that we must accept as an unavoidable American reality. We are therefore issuing this call to action. This epidemic warrants a Marshall Plan approach. We are immensely proud of the work we have conducted over these past several weeks, and are grateful to all of those who contributed to this effort.
“Each of us stands ready and eager to work with those in positions of power to implement the solutions outlined in this report. The health and lives of our loved ones, friends, and neighbors hang in the balance.”
Borough President Fossella said: “For far too long, Staten Islanders have suffered from the effects of fentanyl. By working with District Attorney McMahon and our partners in the community through this Task Force, we hope to educate, provide treatment to those who are suffering, and ultimately reduce this crisis.”
Some of the Task Force’s Recommendations, outlined fully in the Report, include:
• Governor Hochul Must Declare an Opioid Public Health Emergency.
• Stop the Production & Influx of Fentanyl to the United States
• Heighten Regional Law Enforcement Coordination and Develop New Enforcement Strategies to Disrupt the Fentanyl and Opioid Markets
• Improve legal frameworks for criminal accountability, including needed fixes to bail reform, the relaxation of discovery timelines, and the scheduling of xylazine as a controlled substance
• Prioritize & Invest in Education and Awareness Campaigns and Prevention Programming in Schools
• Expand Access to Community Based Overdose Prevention & Harm Reduction Services
• Invest in Housing as an Important Prevention and Harm Reduction Tool
• Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Insurance Coverage Parity to Ease Restrictions on Accessing Treatment
• Payment reform to allow substance use providers to receive necessary reimbursement for services rendered
• Build a Sustainable Workforce and Infrastructure for SUD and Mental Health Care to attract, train, and retain the skilled, dedicated professionals needed to work with this vulnerable population
• Share data and technology across health care and treatment providers to ensure best possible patient care
• Provide Federal Funding at the Highest Levels to Tackle this Crisis.
• Allocate resources directly to Staten Island to address the needs of those forced into child and family care because of a relative’s substance use illness, the establishment of a crisis stabilization center, immediate access to treatment during a moment of crisis, and increased transition support for those whose sobriety or recovery is in its infancy.
Dr. Brahim Ardolic, Executive Director of Staten Island University Hospital said: “Health is a component of public safety. The alarming epidemic of fentanyl use has tragically taken the lives of numerous Staten Islanders, which clearly demands a more comprehensive and urgent response to address this pressing issue. The Task Force has played a crucial role in evaluating the tangible impacts of fentanyl use on its victims and their families – as fentanyl is a robust synthetic opioid that exceeds the potency of heroin by up to 50 times, and is 100 times more powerful than morphine.
“Providing concrete and achievable legislative recommendations to the state government will help increase the potential for a positive response to treatment.”
Dr. Joseph Conte, Executive Director of the Staten Island Performing Provider System said: “With 6,000 dead in NYS and 150,000 or more overdose saves in 2023, pursuing the same solutions to this evolving crisis will not lead to a short-circuiting of the death and destruction we are experiencing. The Task Force convened by our Borough President Fossella and Richmond County District Attorney McMahon is putting forth new ideas, new innovations, and fresh approaches to the overdose crisis. It is this kind of leadership and community provider insight that will lead us to effective and impactful solutions and a brighter future in the substance-misuse crisis.”
Diane Arneth, Executive Director of Community Health Action of Staten Island, said: “Richmond [County] District Attorney McMahon and Borough President Fossella are to be commended for bringing together every important stakeholder group in the process of compiling this report. The resulting report and set of comprehensive recommendations demonstrate the broad range of experience, expertise, and lived experience that helped create a blueprint for action that will have real impact on the opioid crisis. Now, our job is to make it happen.”
Adrienne Abbate, Executive Director of the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness said: “Thank you to DA McMahon and BP Fossella for centering the voices of local agencies and impacted community members in the SI Fentanyl Task Force efforts. Partners from prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery shared best practices and innovative approaches to address the fentanyl crisis that has devastated our community. We implore our elected officials to declare an opioid public health emergency in NYS, and to implement the thoughtful strategies and recommendations outlined from those actively addressing behavioral health in our community. ”
Banner Image: Opium poppy field. Image Credit – Tim Cooper
