Long Island Families Demand Action from NYS Senate to Prevent Overdose Fatalities
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 – A coalition of families today joined the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) at a news conference outside the Nassau County Medical Examiner’s Office to urge Long Island’s nine New York State Senators to join their colleagues in the NYS Assembly to pass legislation that will help prevent overdose deaths. By providing limited immunity from prosecution for possession of small amounts of drugs or alcohol for those who call for medical assistance for themselves or someone else, lives will be saved. Overdose deaths generally do not happen spontaneously. Young people, afraid to call the police because they are impaired or have drugs in their possession, typically flee during a medical emergency. Without help, the patient dies.
This legislation passed the New York State Assembly with wide support in 2010 and 2011. New Mexico passed 911 Good Samaritan legislation in 2007, while Washington State enacted the second such law in 2010. Parents across New York State urge lawmakers to enact this legislation before we lose more young people to opiate-related overdoses. LICADD’s Executive Director, Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds stated, “We’ve been pushing for this bill for more than a year and since that time, an estimated 300 Long Islanders have suffered fatal overdoses. We can’t wait another year for action.”
Parents who have lost children to drug overdoses will join officials from the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) to share their stories and call on state lawmakers to pass this important legislation before they leave Albany for the summer. Teri Kroll, a mother who lost her son to drug overdose is a strong advocate of the bill. Kroll stated, “Deaths resulting from overdoses are absolutely preventable. It’s a shame that young people are afraid to ask for help when they need it the most. It is with that in mind that my husband and I work very closely with LICADD and are part of PUSH (People United to Stop Heroin on Long Island). My husband and I know that we are not the first parents to lose a child to drug addiction, but we would like to be among the last. Passing the 911 Good Samaritan Law will certainly help reduce the opiate-related deaths on Long Island and encourage individuals to seek help in life-threatening situations.”
With offices in Williston Park, Ronkonkoma, and Riverhead, LICADD provides expert evaluation, addiction assessments, and early intervention services to individuals, children, and families impacted by substance abuse, and spearheads evidence-based prevention education programs in a variety of settings. LICADD facilitates screened treatment placements, runs relapse prevention support groups, and remains Long Island’s only non-profit agency conducting planned family interventions.
