Greene 518-291-4500
Columbia 518-610-8703
Weekend/Evening Hotline: 518-822-0090
Greene County | 513 Main Street | Cairo, NY 12413
Columbia County | 1301 River Street | Valatie, NY 12184
Opioid Addiction Is a DiseaseDon't Struggle Alone
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and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.”
Why is There an Opioid Epidemic?
- As of 2016, doctors were writing more than 289 million prescriptions“Facing Addiction in America”, U.S. Surgeon General (2016), 413 pp addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/surgeon-generals-report.pdf nationwide for opioids. These prescriptions were intended as temporary relief from major pain events.
- Due to the sedative effects on the part of the brain which regulates breathing, opioids in high doses sometimes cause respiratory failure and death. As a result, 146 people die from opioid overdose in the U.S every daywww.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates.
- In 2016, there were 56,000 12- to-17-year-oldsSAMHSA Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health. abusing prescription drugs in New York State.
Is It “That Bad” in Greene County & Columbia County? Yes!
- Greene County has the third highest rate of opioid overdose deathswww.health.ny.gov/statistics/opioid/data/d2.htm and second highest rate of heroin overdose deathswww.health.ny.gov/statistics/opioid/data/d3.htm in New York State. Also, the number of overdoses is increasing. There were 62 opioid overdoses in 2016https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/opioid/data/pdf/nys_jul17.pdf compared to 45 in 2015.
- Columbia County saw a 233% increase in deaths attributable to any opioid pain reliever from 2015 to 2016.https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/opioid/#i_three.
- In New York State, Greene County has the ninth highest rate of emergency department visits involving opioid overdosewww.health.ny.gov/statistics/opioid/data/e2.htm.
- People with an opioid addiction who succumbed to an overdose are mostly white, working-class, and live in a rural area.Sullivan, Andrew. “The Opioid Epidemic Is This Generation’s AIDS Crisis”, New York Magazine, March 16, 2017
HUDSON VALLEY HEROIN DEALER SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON
A Hudson Valley heroin dealer who was found with 2,500 bags of heroin and has six drug convictions will likely spend the rest of his life in jail. 45-year-old Ronald Smith of Fallsburg was sentenced to 35 years to life in state prison after a jury at Sullivan County Court found him guilty of two counts of conspiracy, criminal sale of a controlled substance, four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence, all felonies.
Don’t Miss the Signs of Opioid Addiction
Save a life by becoming familiar with these Physical Signs, Behavioral Signs and Items to Look for.
Please watch and share this powerful video and learn more at: http://ny.seethesignssavealife.org/.
Created by the New York State Association of Counties.
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