An emergency telephone town hall Thursday (Feb. 27) night will focus on the heroin epidemic affecting the region, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D - Cold Spring) said.
Maloney is calling for the Hudson Valley to be labeled a "High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area." He wants to increase the availability of naloxone, an opioid antagonist used to counter the effects of an overdose. It is regarded "within the medical community as highly effective when used properly," Katie Zezima writes in this Associated Press story.
Kristin McConnell, executive director of the Putnam chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism & Other Drug Dependencies, will be on the call, as will members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, TEAM Newburgh and the National Drug Control Policy Office of the White House.
It starts at 7:30 p.m. Officials will talk about community resources and law enforcement resources. Maloney will also take questions from constituents, who will have the chance to leave a message with questions or thoughts at the end of the conversation.
“I’m calling for all-hands-on-deck," he said in a statement. "The heroin epidemic in the Hudson Valley is killing our children, devastating our communities, and ripping apart the families of friends and neighbors—we must confront this issue head-on. We must ensure that the law enforcement officials who are working to get drugs off the streets have the resources they need and that community organizations focused on prevention and treatment have our full support.”
Residents from the 18th Congressional district will receive an invitation by telephone to join the conference call. Invitations may be requested by emailing a name and complete phone number to ny18townhall@mail.house.gov, calling Maloney's Washington office at 202-225-5441, or signing up here. Anyone unable to participate in the call may call the congressman's office with comments, or send them via his website, Facebook or Twitter.
This past year, Maloney secured $625,000 for five local organizations to combat substance abuse, his office said.
For more Patch coverage on the heroin epidemic, see the following posts:
- County Police Arrest 5 in Drug Bust
- From Experimentation to Addiction: A Young Man's Story of Recovery
- Local Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
- Mahopac Heroin Overdose: Cops Hope to Avoid 'Another Tragedy'
- Police: Woman, 61, Sold Heroin to Undercover Officer
- Suspected Heroin Overdoses Cause Deaths in Westchester, Putnam
- Suspected Heroin Overdose in Croton: One Brother Dead, One Hospitalized
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
