Hoehmtown Happenings: Overdoses and Deaths in Clarkstown are Down Here is Why

The drug crisis is both complicated and insidious and has been growing exponentially for theย past twenty years. Every year the number of deaths and overdoses rise across the country andย locally despite the best efforts to combat the issue. However, despite these facts we have someย reason for hope as half year statistics locally demonstrate that both overdoses and deaths areย down significantly for the first half of this year. First letโ€™s get to the facts of the matter and thenย look at some reason why we are seeing stats that buck the trend.ย According to the latest monthly statistics released by the Rockland County Crime Analysisย Center total drug overdoses countywide are down year over year by 43%. Even moreย importantly, deaths from overdoses are down by 26% year over year. In Clarkstown theย numbers are even more impressive. In Clarkstown overdoses are down 50% and deaths fromoverdoses are down 45%!

This is a significant reduction, so the question remains why the drop in total overdoses andย deaths within Clarkstown and Rockland County? In discussing this matter with our police andย crime analysis center staff we see several factors at play. These include a return to normalcyย post COVID, stepped up education and enforcement, as well as more importantly new andย renewed partnerships that includes peer counselor outreach for follow up once an overdoseย occurs. Letโ€™s briefly look at each individually.ย ย First and foremost the numbers illustrate just how damaging COVID and the resultingย lockdowns have been for people. This is clearly demonstrated by the rise in calls for service toย the police for people in emotional distress. In 2020 there were just over 500 calls for service toย the Clarkstown Police involving a person in emotional distress. This number was itself a rise ofย 15% over 2019 and an additional rise occurred of nearly 20% in 2021. Thus, over the two mainย COVID years where shut downs were in largely effect and people were more isolated theย emotional trauma was evident and pronounced. However, now in a largely โ€œpost COVID eraโ€ย the calls for service involving persons in emotional distress through the first half of 2022 areย static and on pace with 2021 numbers. So while the baseline is 35% higher today as opposed toย 2019, it is not rising this year. This is reflecting that with fewer people shut in has improved theย overall feeling of well-being folks are experiencing.

The next factor is education and enforcement. It is clear that the word is getting out about howย deadly the fentanyl crisis it is and impacting all illicit drugs. It is nearly impossible to turn on theย television news, pick up a newspaper or check out social media and not hear a story aboutย drugs laced with fentanyl leading to deaths. Similarly, we have done more outreach andย education via our own social media and in schools through our school resource (SROโ€™s) andย DARE officers to warn about the dangers of fentanyl laced drugs and this is likely having anย impact. This coupled with a really enhanced enforcement strategy, led by our drug task forceย and street crimes unit in targeting dealers is also having some effect. I am most grateful to ourย Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh and his team who is leading the way in this areaย with our policeโ€”it is working and putting a dent into the problem.ย However, the thing I am most proud of is the strengthened and new partnerships we haveย undertaken to bring peer counselors and mental health professionals to respond to the crisis. ย Earlier this year we organized a conference call with a college classmate of mine Denis Romeroย who is now the regional administrator for SAMSHA a federal agency that serves people affectedย by drugs and mental health issues. The call involved Rockland County District Attorney Thomasย Walsh, myself, Chief Jeff Wanamaker and his team from the Clarkstown Police and severalย other stakeholders. We discussed best practices and what is working across the country. It wasย my intent to seek funding to hire mental health and substance abuse counselors to respondย through the police department to try to assist those who have experienced an overdose andย offer them a pathway to get treatment. The clearest message we heard on that call and theย subsequent follow up calls is the high degree of success in recovery when a peer counselor isย connected to a person who survives and overdose as soon as possible. The numbers areย startling higher when that contact happens very close to the overdose, either on scene or whileย in the hospital. A specially trained and certified peer counselor, namely a person who hasย experienced the same issues and is now in recovery, is the one person best equipped to reachย somebody who has experienced an overdose and hopefully get them to consider treatment.

Following that series of calls and meetings we took a different path and signed an MOUย (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Rockland Council on Alcoholism and Other Drugย Dependence (RCADD) to provide peers to connect with everyone who experiences an overdoseย in Clarkstown. This is an important pilot program, the first of its kind in Rockland County andย the numbers seem to be proving its worth. The reductions in deaths and total overdoses areย significantly above average in Clarkstown and begs the question, why, what has changed? Mostย especially the reduction of deaths from overdoses is dramatic. What has changed is the laserย focused target to assist in getting people to consider treatment by the outreach of certifiedย peer counselor. Undoubtedly several people are alive today who perhaps would not have beenย if not for the effectiveness of the outreach commenced through this program which has led toย treatment.ย The outreach also includes the expanded use of our community police program to reach theย homeless as well as those who have had an overdose. This is in addition to the existingย outreach of the Rockland County Department of Mental Health who also perform follow up hasย been effective. Taken together we are seeing for the first time a reduction in the numbers ofย total overdoses and deaths. This is an area we are leading on and frankly perhaps the mostย important work I have been involved with as your Town Supervisor. We promised to doย something, and the initial results are indeed promising. We will update your further as theย monthโ€™s progress but so far education, enforcement and most importantly targeted outreachย seem to be having a positive effect right here in our community. Thank you to all who haveย assisted in this endeavor especially our District Attorney Tom Walsh, the Clarkstown PoliceDepartment under the leadership of Chief Wanamaker, RCADD and the Rockland Countyย Department of Mental Health and all who have worked to seek a pathway to treatment forย those afflicted with the scourge of drug dependence.

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