As we know the Opioid/Heroin Epidemic is one that has impacted practically every family, our community, our state and our nation. We know that more 67,000 individuals die annually from overdose and in as much as we have made great strides in the past, we know we have much more to do focusing on the four core areas: Enforcement, Education, Treatment and Recovery.
I am sponsoring a bill that has passed the NYS Senate already which is called Stephen’s Law. The bill, A9536, can be found here. As the bill memo details, the bill would require that all certified treatment programs notify every patient of their right to identify individuals who should be contacted in case of emergency. Currently this is a recommended practice but it is not required by law and the intent of the legislation is to codify this practice to provide a consistent approach statewide.