Opioid Crisis Tackled By First LI Government Partnership

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County continues to get tough in the ongoing war against the deadly specter of opioid addiction.

On Thursday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, along with Suffolk County Sheriff Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr., Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, and Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini, announced the formation of SOAR: Sharing Opioid Analysis Research.

SOAR, officials said, is an initiative aimed at bringing together governmental agencies to fight back against the insidious opioid crisis in Suffolk County.

"Each agency involved brings a unique and varied perspective on the issue," Toulon said in a release. "Meeting together on a quarterly basis will facilitate a shared, comprehensive understanding of local patterns, characteristics, and trends associated with opioid fatalities. At these quarterly meetings, agencies will share specific data regarding both fatal and non-fatal overdoses and identify gaps and areas where improvements can be made."

The SOAR initiative is based on the model of RX Stat from the NYPD; RX Stat is grounded in a public health framework, emphasizing the use of data as a measure of patterns and trends in the population and considering drug use as a health issue requiring a shared public health and safety response, a release said.

The Suffolk County Department of Probation and the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner will round out the agencies involved in the SOAR initiative.

The opioid epidemic is an issue that reaches a variety of government agencies and the group will bring stakeholders to the table to share expertise, generate information and tailor targeted interventions, Bellone's office said.

Officials, he added, will take "a 360-degree view at specific fatal overdoses in an effort to evaluate responses and create new solutions to a crisis that impacts all demographics."

SOAR reflects the first time the agencies will come together to share agency-specific data to build a trans-disciplinary approach across various levels of government.

“Suffolk County is taking the lead in tackling the opioid epidemic in a variety of ways including launching new job programs for individuals and family members affected by this crisis, training thousands on how to administer Narcan and suing Big Pharma to hold them accountable for their role in connection with creating the opioid crisis,” Bellone said. “The county continues to seek innovative ways to address the opioid epidemic and Suffolk SOAR offers a great approach by bringing both public health and safety perspectives to the table.”

Addiction is a health and safety issue and bringing high-level officials that are experts in their field together will yield better results in the war against opioids, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart agreed. “The goal of Suffolk SOAR is to prevent overdoses and reduce drug abuse. Working together, we can generate an inclusive understanding of local issues associated with drug use. While we often look to help the individual suffering from addiction, these meetings will allow participating agencies to review internal responses to see if there are gaps or areas that can be improved.”

"Something went wrong in all of these cases — someone is dead"

SOAR is "an incredible initiative that we are launching and the strength lies in the case study approach to looking at specific cases,” Sini said. “Something went wrong in all of these cases; someone is dead. By looking at those cases and identifying whether it is a gap in service or a missed opportunity by law enforcement to intervene and get that person into treatment, it will help us to formulate even more effective strategies in addressing the opioid crisis.”

Too many times at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, incarcerated men and women have used and know those who have overdosed, Toulon said. “This collaboration will really help Suffolk County move forward in identifying and solving some of the opioid issues in Suffolk County.”

Longtime news anchor Drew Scott, who lost his beloved granddaughter Hallie Rae to an overdose in 2017 and who served as co-chair of the Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force, applauded the initiative.“SOAR is a good thing and similar to what we did in Southampton with the addiction and recovery task force. By getting reports from multiple agencies, we get a clearer picture of how effective our programs are.”