Local Students Unite To Warn Against Opioid Addiction

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Local teens took a strong stand about just saying "no" to drugs.

Several Westhampton Beach High School students participated in the filming of a public service announcement series sponsored by the Southampton Town Opioid Addiction and Recovery Committee. The announcements, which feature all five East End town police chiefs, warn about the lethal dangers of fentanyl.

The PSAs will air on local government channels and will be provided to schools and other community groups. Student participants included Maddie Donahue, Valerie Fink, Natalie Gosnell, Mackenzie Jenkins and Alex Slover, the Westhampton Beach Union Free School District said.

The Southampton Town Opioid Addiction and Recovery Committee teamed up with the five East End town police chiefs to produce the public service announcement recently.

Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skrynecki leads the PSA (which you can watch below): "I'm here with my fellow East End police chiefs to remind you that it only takes a small amount of fentanyl to end your life. We've seen one too many families have to identify their loved ones after a fatal overdose," he said.

The police chiefs and young people present then join in: "Don't take a chance. These drugs kill. Just don't do it. Just one try, and you could die," they said.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and it can take multiple doses of naloxone to reverse a fentanyl overdose, officials say.

More than 72,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2017, according to preliminary estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recent months. The CDC cautioned that the figures are an underestimate because of deaths for which an official cause remains pending.

A significant number of the overdose deaths were reported to be caused by fentanyl, with the CDC estimates attributing nearly 30,000 deaths in 2017 to the synthetic opioid. That represents a sharp increase over 2016, when just over 20,000 overdose deaths were reported to be caused by fentanyl, according to data.

The PSA will air on local government channels and be used in schools and other community groups.

The PSA was produced-pro-bono by American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. in Holbrook.
"American Portfolios is steadfastly committed to corporate social responsibility," said Lon T. Dolber, CEO and president of the independent broker/dealer that services financial advisors across the United States. "We strive to offer our assistance and support to reach people in need."

The PSA also featured longtime news anchor Drew Scott, who lost his 22-year old granddaughter Hallie Rae to opioid addiction. The students who participated in the PSA warned their peers that they could die.

"It's a powerful message that we think we need to emphasize with young people and parents," Scott said.

The PSA is just one of the recommendations to be implemented by the town after a Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force report last June. The town is also launching a new website to help those struggling with addiction, another recommendation made by the task force. The new website can be found here.

"This is a terrific site to help anyone looking for resources to end the cycle of addiction," said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. "We were fortunate last year that the death rate from opioid drugs declined from 19 in 2017 to 6 in 2018. But just one death is one too many."

The PSA will raise public awareness, said Scott; he attended the filming with his granddaughter Mackenzie Jenkins, who grew up with Hallie Rae. "Six is still too many overdoses, but we're going in the right direction," he said.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said he was glad to participate in the public service announcement "on such a timely topic warning and its deadly effects. It is a very important subject for law enforcement today and if it helps highlight the dangers of opioid and fentanyl use, it will be a success."

Lead photo courtesy of the Westhampton Beach School District.

Patch photo, video of PSA taping courtesy Bill Donahue, American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc.