{"id":55937,"date":"2014-05-28T19:51:59","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T23:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=55937"},"modified":"2014-05-28T17:10:21","modified_gmt":"2014-05-28T21:10:21","slug":"senates-joint-task-force-on-heroin-opioid-addiction-release-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=55937","title":{"rendered":"Senate\u2019s Joint Task Force on Heroin, Opioid Addiction Release Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"valesky\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Albany, NY \u2013 May 28, 2014) State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida), a member of the Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction joined colleagues in releasing a report summarizing the findings of statewide forums held to examine the issues surrounding the increase in drug abuse, addiction and drug related crimes in New York. The report includes a comprehensive package of bills recommended for action this legislative session that target prevention, treatment, and enforcement issues raised during extensive testimony provided by dozens of experts, parents, and concerned New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heroin and opioid epidemic sweeping the state is deadly and is doing significant damage to our communities in Central New York,\u201d Valesky said. \u201cThis comprehensive legislative package addresses the scourge on all fronts and it is my hope we can affect positive change with its passage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past nine weeks, task force members held 18 forums across the state, including Cayuga, Jefferson and Oneida counties in Central New York. Testimony at the forums directed the task force\u2019s legislative response to
\nthree key areas: preventing drug abuse and overdoses; increasing the availability and efficacy of addiction treatment; and enhancing the tools provided to law enforcement to keep heroin off the streets. As a result, the task force is recommending the following 25 bills, co-sponsored by Valesky, be considered during the 2014 legislative session.<\/p>\n

Preventing Opioid Abuse and Overdoses
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Preventing opioid overdoses in schools (S7661): Clarifies that school districts, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) programs, charter schools, and other educational entities may possess and administer naloxone to treat opioid overdoses, and will be protected by Good Samaritan laws.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Increasing the effectiveness of overdose prevention (S7649): Provides that naloxone kits distributed through an opioid overdose prevention program must include an informational card with instructions on steps to take following administration, as well as information on how to access addiction treatment and support services. \u00a0Opioid overdose prevention programs provide those at risk of an overdose, their family members and their friends with naloxone kits and training on proper administration.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Limiting prescriptions for acute pain (S2949A): Limits the number of Schedule II and III controlled substances prescribed for acute pain to a 10-day supply to prevent excess pharmaceuticals from being dispensed, and therefore reduce the risk of diversion. This restriction would not apply to the treatment of cancer pain, chronic pain or palliative care. Further, the bill provides that only one co-payment may be charged for a 30-day supply.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Increasing public awareness (S7654): Requires the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and the Department of Health (DOH) to establish the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Pain Medication Addiction Awareness and Education Program. \u00a0The program would utilize social and mass media to reduce the stigma associated with drug addiction, while increasing public\u2019s knowledge about the dangers of opioid and heroin abuse, the signs of addiction, and relevant programs and resources.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing school drug prevention programs (S7653): Adds age-appropriate information about the dangers of illegal drug use to junior high school and high school health class curriculums.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Promoting pharmaceutical take-back events (S6691): Requires OASAS to post guidelines and requirements for conducting a pharmaceutical collection event on its website. \u00a0According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), nearly 70 percent of those who first abuse prescription drugs get the pills from a friend or relative. Facilitating proper and timely disposal of unused narcotics helps to reduce the danger of diversion.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Ensuring prescribing practitioners stay abreast of best practices (S7660): Creates a continuing medical education program for practitioners with prescribing privileges. DOH and the State Education Department (SED) would establish standards for three hours of biennial instruction on topics including Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing (I-STOP) requirements, pain management, appropriate prescribing, acute pain management, palliative medicine, addiction screening and treatment, and end-of-life care.<\/p>\n

Increasing the Availability and Efficacy of Addiction Treatment
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Creating a new model of detoxification and transitional services (S2948): Establishes the Opioid Treatment and Hospital Diversion Demonstration Program, requiring the development of a new model of detoxification and transitional services for individuals seeking to recover from opioid addiction that reduces reliance on emergency room services.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing a relapse prevention demonstration program (S7650): Creates a Wraparound Services Demonstration Program through which OASAS would provide case management or referral services for nine months to individuals who successfully complete substance abuse treatment programs. \u00a0These community supports – access to which is intended to prevent a relapse – include educational resources, peer-to-peer support groups, social services and family services and counseling, employment support and counseling transportation assistance, medical services, legal services, financial services, and child care services.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Enabling parents to require children to undergo treatment (S7652):
\nProvides that a parent or guardian may petition to have a minor child designated as a Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) due to a substance use disorder, and that a court may require a PINS child to undergo substance abuse treatment.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing assisted outpatient treatment for substance use disorders (S7651): Enables a court to order Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) for an individual with a substance use disorder who, due to his or her addiction, poses a threat to him or herself or others.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Promoting the affordability of substance abuse services (S7662: Improves the utilization review process for determining insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment disorders, and requires insurers to continue to provide coverage throughout the appeals process.<\/p>\n

Providing Additional Resources to Law Enforcement
\n\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Studying the conversion of correctional facilities to treatment centers (S7655A): Directs OASAS and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to study the feasibility of converting closed correctional facilities to provide treatment for substance use disorders. \u00a0Agencies would examine the feasibility of such centers providing both inpatient residential and outpatient care.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing the crime of homicide by sale of an opioid controlled substance (S7657): Creates an A-I felony for the unlawful transportation or sale of an opioid that causes the death of another.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Restricting drug dealers from participating in the SHOCK incarnation program (S7656): Holds drug dealers accountable by preventing participation in the SHOCK incarceration program \u2013 under which young adults receive substance abuse treatment, academic education, and other services to promote reintegration \u2013 by individuals convicted of a A-II felony drug offense, except if he or she tests positive for a controlled substance upon arraignment.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Improving safety at judicial diversion programs (S1879): \u00a0Requires a court, in determining a defendant’s eligibility for a judicial diversion program for alcohol or substance abuse treatment, to consider the underlying charges and the defendant’s propensity for violent conduct. \u00a0The bill also requires the facility treating a defendant under this diversion program to notify the local law enforcement of the defendant’s placement and arrest record, and to submit a security plan to the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to provide for the safety of staff, residents and the community. \u00a0Finally, this bill allows a defendant to appear via video conference, and makes unauthorized departure from a rehabilitation facility a D felony.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Reallocating funds from asset forfeitures (S7658): Reduces the state share of certain asset forfeitures to increase allocations for the reimbursement of expenses incurred by localities for investigation and prosecution, and provides additional monies for the Chemical Dependence Service Fund.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Creating Drug-Free Zones around treatment facilities (S1388):<\/p>\n

Establishes a B felony for the sale of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a drug or alcohol treatment center or methadone clinic.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Expanding the crime of operating as a major trafficker (S7663):
\nFacilitates convictions for operating as a major trafficker by reducing the number of people that must have participated from four to three, and lowering the minimum required proceeds from the sale of controlled substances during a 12-month period from $75,000 to $25,000.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing the crime of transporting an opioid controlled substance (S7659):<\/p>\n

Allows prosecution for a new crime when an individual unlawfully transports an opioid any distance greater than five miles within the state, or from one county to another county within the state, to address diversion and distribution of heroin and prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Facilitating the conviction of drug dealers (S7169):<\/p>\n

Provides that possession of 50 or more packages of a Schedule I opium derivative, or possession of $300 or more worth of such drugs, is presumptive evidence of a person\u2019s intent to sell.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Preventing illegal drug sales by doctors and pharmacists (S2941):
\nProvides for an enhanced penalty \u2013 a B felony \u2013 for practitioners and pharmacists who abuse the standards of their respective profession and violate the public trust by illegally selling controlled substances.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Establishing criminal penalties for the theft of blank official New York State prescription forms (S2940):<\/p>\n

Expands grand larceny in the fourth degree to include the theft of a blank official New York State prescription form. \u00a0This bill would also redefine criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree to include the possession of a stolen New York State prescription form, and create an A misdemeanor of criminal possession of a prescription form.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Increasing the penalties for theft of controlled substances (S2431, Passed Senate 3\/24\/2014):<\/p>\n

Provides enhanced penalties for the theft of controlled substances, treating such crimes similarly to a theft of firearms, credit or debit cards, scientific secrets, or certain methamphetamine precursors.<\/p>\n

\u00b7 \u00a0 \u00a0Prosecuting acts by street gangs (S4444A):<\/p>\n

Creates the Criminal Street Gang Enforcement and Prevention Act to provide a comprehensive approach to protecting the public from gang-related crimes and violence, including those that relate to drug trafficking, and establishing the criminal street gang prevention fund.<\/p>\n

The full report can be viewed online at\u00a0www.valesky.nysenate.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report also highlights other recent legislative actions to protect the well-being of people suffering from the drug addiction. \u00a0In 2012, the state enacted a law to create the successful Internet System for Tracking
\nOver-Prescribing (I-STOP) Act (S7637), which created a real-time database for healthcare practitioners to consult prior to prescribing potentially addictive medicines such as oxycodone and hydrocodone.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the Senate passed a bill (S6477B) to allow authorized health care professionals to increase public access to Narcan\/naloxone.
\nAlso, the Fiscal Year 2015 enacted budget included $3.3 million in funding to support substance abuse services.<\/p>\n

The task force is chaired by Senator Phil Boyle (R-C-I, Suffolk County),
\nChairman of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Other
\nmembers include Vice-Chair David Carlucci (D-Rockland), Chairman of the
\nSenate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities;
\nVice-Chair Michael Nozzolio (R-C, Fayette), Chairman of the Senate Codes
\nCommittee; Senator Greg Ball (R-C-I, Patterson), Senator John Bonacic
\n(R-C-I, Mount Hope), Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), Senator Pat
\nGallivan (R-C-I, Elma), Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn), Senator
\nJoseph A. Griffo (R, Rome), Senator Kemp Hannon (R, Nassau), Senator Andrew\u00a0Lanza (R-I-C, Staten Island), Senator William Larkin (R-C, Cornwall),\u00a0Senator Betty Little (R-C-I, Queensbury), Senator Carl L. Marcellino (R,\u00a0Syosset), Senator Kathleen A. Marchione (R-C, Halfmoon), Senator Jack\u00a0Martins (R-C-I, Mineola), Senator George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane), Senator\u00a0Thomas O\u2019Mara (R-C, Big Flats), Senator Michael Ranzenhofer (R-C-I,\u00a0Amherst), Senator Patty Ritchie (R-C, Heuvelton), Senator Joseph Robach\u00a0(R-C-I, Rochester), Senator Diane Savino (D, Staten Island\/Brooklyn),\u00a0Senator James L. Seward (R-I-C, Oneonta), Senator David J. Valesky\u00a0(D-Oneida), and Senator Cathy Young (R-I-C, Olean).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Albany, NY \u2013 May 28, 2014) State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida), a member of the Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction joined colleagues in releasing a report summarizing the findings of statewide forums held to examine the issues surrounding the increase in drug abuse, addiction and drug related crimes in New […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55937\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}