Hempstead Town Gets Grant To Retrain People To Fight Opioids

Hempstead Town received more than $330,000 in federal grant money to help retrain people to fight the opioid crisis that is affecting all of Long Island.

The town is receiving up to $333,628 from the state Department of Labor to help retrain people in fields to address the opioid epidemic, the town said. The training will be done throughe the town's Department of Occupational Resources (DOOR).

“Opioid abuse continues to devastate families in every community on Long Island and across the country," said Councilman Anthony D'Esposito. A former NYPD detective and fire department chief, D'Esposito has been hosting many training seminars across the town to teach people how to use naloxone, a drug that can reverse a deadly opioid overdose. "Training local residents to treat those who have fallen victim to this abuse and helping enable those who are winning in their fight against their addiction to obtain suitable job placement is an important opportunity for the town to help save more lives.”

Between 2014 and 2017, poisoning/overdose became the leading cause of death for people ages 18035, the town said. As America's largest township, Hempstead Town has many people who are fighting addiction.

“Opioid abuse continues to devastate families in every neighborhood in the Town of Hempstead and across the country,” said Councilman Dennis Dunne, who works with various community coalitions focused on addressing the drug crisis. “Providing specialized training to those who are battling this terrible affliction gives these individuals and families a second chance.”

The additional training will focus on careers such as intake counseling, peer recovery navigation, substance abuse counseling and mental health. The goal of this workforce development is to train potential employees in fields that help address and prevent substance abuse. Additionally, those who have voluntarily identified themselves as having struggled with substance abuse will benefit from one-to-one career counseling and group workshop activities while staff assists them in maintaining confidentiality, navigating the employment application process and accessing reasonable accommodations for disabilities.

“As an NYPD Detective and a former fire chief, I have seen firsthand the horror of drug abuse,” D’Esposito said. “The prevention of these tragedies, the treatment of those suffering from these addictions and providing assistance to those who are fighting to regain their lives while in recovery is extremely important to me and I am proud that our Township is able to take an active role in furthering these measures.”