Staten Island’s NYS Asm. Pirozzolo Working For Constituents To Obtain Funding From Initial Round Of Opioid Settlement For Hard-Hit Hospitals On The Island

NYC FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES GAP OF OPIOID SETTLEMENT FOR Staten Islanders

An Op-Ed by Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R,C-Staten Island)

Historically, Staten Islanders get the short end of the stick when it comes to resources and support from New York City. Our moniker of the “forgotten borough” rings loudly, showered in the reality that Staten Islanders are left behind on significant matters pertaining to our city and our people. One such example of City Hall’s apparent “oversight” is the failure to dedicate any funding from the $286 million-dollar Municipal Share of the Opioid Settlement Fund to specifically Staten Island.

With addiction service providers and Staten Islanders at my side, I began putting pressure on City Hall, H&H, and the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) to immediately address this oversight. After many discussions with these officials and agencies, City Hall has finally acknowledged that Staten Island has not been treated fairly.

During a meeting I hosted last week, and as has been reported by Crain’s New York Business, “Diane Savino, senior advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, said at a news conference last week that the city has acknowledged ‘serious gaps … in Staten Island not being treated equally compared to the other four boroughs … The mayor is very concerned about this.’ Savino, a former state senator who represented Staten Island from 2005 to 2022, continued, ‘He does not think Staten Island should be carved out, and if there were solutions made at the agency level that appear to do this, he wants us to find a solution.’” You can view the full article here.

We were painfully reminded of this when details became public regarding the allocation of money in the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund. For context, Attorney General Letitia James secured more than $1 billion from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors that is to be used to support opioid recovery treatment and services for affected New Yorkers. The caveat in this agreement would be that municipalities (cities) would be responsible for distributing this funding.

To kick off this much-needed program, New York City is set to receive $150 million over the next five years. This is the first round of funding available under the agreement. City bureaucracy decided these initial funds would be managed/allocated through NYC Health & Hospitals (H&H) facilities, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

For our other borough counterparts, this is no problem as they all have at least one H&H hospital where opioid treatment services are provided. Staten Island, however, does not. This results in Staten Island receiving $0 from this initial round, even though our shores are among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.

This acknowledgement is a significant development in the right direction. City Hall has heard our calls and admitted that mistakes were made. Now, the real work begins. We must now ensure Staten Islanders are equitably, proportionally, and retroactively compensated for the damage caused by the opioid epidemic and the neglect from our government in tackling this crisis. Admitting City Hall made a mistake is the first step in solving the problem, but I will not stop until we receive not only the funding, we need to save lives, but all the funding Staten Island is entitled to.

Banner Image: Nationwide Opioid Crisis. Image Credit – Hal Gatewood