New Heroin and Opiate Advisory Panel Explores Local Drug Abuse

For a newly assembled group of lawmakers and community leaders, curing Long Island's heroin epidemic means providing meaningful preventative programs, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and accessible detoxification facilities for the county's youth.

The Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel met for the first time on July 22 and will examine how Suffolk County can improve its response to heroin and opiates.

Jeffrey Reynolds runs Long Island's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and is the chairperson for the panel. 

"Our charge is to look at and make recommendation for improving Suffolk's prevention, treatment and recovery continuum of care. The current opiate crisis has placed a giant spotlight on some areas where change is imperative," Reynolds said.

Legislators Wayne R. Horsley, Lynne C. Nowick, Tom Muratore and DeWayne Gregory introduced the resolution to form the panel and County Executive Steve Levy approved it on May 26.

"I think at this point almost every one of us know someone whose has been affected by this epidemic," said Legis. Nowick, who represents the Smithtown district.

The Advisory Panel consists of 13 members, who will work with community organizations like the Town of Smithtown Alliance (a group of concerned school officials, local and state legislators, clergy members, prevention and treatment experts and child advocates from the town), Kings Park in the kNOw (a grassroots antidrug movement whose goal is to prevent the children of Kings Park from making destructive decisions) and Communities of Solution (a group designed to find out what the needs of Suffolk's youth are and how to best address them).

"The heroin problem is not a Smithtown thing, it's a regional problem," said Debbie Danley, executive director of Kings Park in the kNOw (KPITK). "However, Smithtown school district and parents are not taking this sitting down. The community is galvanizing to fight for the health of their children."

A shortage of detoxification beds has been problematic for many parents of the addicted when they are seeking help for their children in Smithtown and in Suffolk at large. This is one of the issues that the panel will address.

A few of the panelists have deep Smithtown roots. Panel member Elaine Economopoulos runs the Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling Center and the Smithtown Alliance. Pamela Mizzi of the South Oaks Prevention Resource Center is a member of Smithtown Alliance and COS. Lisa Lite-Rottman of the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASIS) helps run COS and has put together prevention programs for every school district in Smithtown. Ed Ehmann is superintendent of the Smithtown School District and he represents the Suffolk County Superintendents Association.

"The purpose of the panel is to educate the community as to the extent of the problem, what they can do to help their kids and where they can get help if they need it," Ehmann said. 

Ehmann and his Smithtown administrators ran a Heroin Summit that attracted over 1,000 parents back in 2009. The Hauppauge, Kings Park and Commack school districts also ran informational events for Smithtown parents in an attempt to educate them about the heroin and prescription pill epidemic.  

"Heroin's resurgence started 5-6 years ago and [is] impacting Long Island's young people in big numbers. The old stereotypes about heroin users and a little bit of 'it can't happen here' suburban denial gave heroin a running start on our kids," Reynolds said.

This denial seems to be fading, particularly after eleven-year-old Smithtown child Courtney Sipes was killed on Main Street in the fall of 2009 by a 20-year-old former Smithtown graduate who was high on heroin. 

Currently, there is a Facebook page called Help Get Rid of Dope in Smithtown, which has well over 2,000 members. That site has posts from young Smithtown residents in recovery, posts from parents and news articles about the heroin epidemic as well. KPITK has a Facebook page with 6,000 members.

As the Resolution is written, the panel will submit a written report of its findings and recommendation for action to each member of the Legislature and the County Executive no later than 180 days subsequent to the signing of the resolution.

Legis. Nowick is optimistic about this new advisory panel. "We understand and know that there is a problem with young people abusing heroin and opiates," she said. "This is not just another committee to say we have a problem, it's a panel of experts who are going to help us find solutions and make recommendations for improving access to prevention, treatment and recovery services in Suffolk County."

Reynolds echoes Nowick's sentiments and believes the new advisory panel has the potential to affect great change. "Though I'm generally not a hug fan of task forces, this group is comprised of the best of the best in addictions and has the full force of the Suffolk Legislature behind it," he said.