NY Governor Andrew Cuomo
ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo Tuesday announced the launch of a statewide heroin task force charged with ending the heroin and opioid crisis in New York.
The group, comprised of a broad coalition of experts in healthcare, drug policy, advocacy, education, and parents and New Yorkers in recovery, will build on the state’s previous efforts and use their expertise and experience to develop a comprehensive action plan to combat the state’s opioid epidemic. Members of the task force will hold public listening sessions across New York to inform their recommendations.
Since 2014, Governor Cuomo has implemented a series of reforms to combat heroin and opioid addiction, including signing the Combat Heroin Legislation; expanding insurance coverage for substance use disorder treatment; increasing access and enhancing treatment capacity across the state; implementing new and expanded recovery services; and launching a public awareness and prevention campaign to inform New Yorkers about the dangers of opioid use.
In March, new regulations also took effect that require all prescriptions to be transmitted electronically from the prescriber directly to the pharmacy.
As overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in New York, the state has also led an aggressive effort to make naloxone available without a prescription at approved pharmacies. To date, New York has trained thousands of first responders and community members to recognize and respond to overdoses.
The governor says the new Heroin Task Force will identify ways to expand awareness of heroin and opioid addiction; enhance statewide prevention efforts; increase access to treatment; and improve support for those in recovery.
For more information, please visit combatheroin.ny.gov/.
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