SENATOR ANDREW LANZA & ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE CUSICK HOST OPIOID OVERDOSE PREVENTION EVENT WITH RECORD HIGH ATTENDANCE

Free Narcan Training Provided With Help From Councilman Steven Matteo, Community Health Action of Staten Island & Susan E. Wagner High School

Senator Andrew Lanza and Assemblyman Michael Cusick today hosted an opioid overdose prevention event at Susan E. Wagner High School to teach Staten Island residents how to respond in the event of a heroin/ opioid overdose. The training was provided by Community Health Action of Staten Island in partnership with Councilman Steven Matteo.

The record-high group of attendees learned how to recognize a heroin/ opioid overdose and how to administer Naloxone to prevent such overdoses from becoming fatal. Upon completion of the course attendees were certified to administer Narcan and received a free Narcan kit to bring home.

Last year, Lanza and Cusick co-sponsored and passed legislation that authorized health care professionals to issue non-patient specific orders for Naloxone allowing for events such as this. The legislation (S.6477/A.8637) has been instrumental in increasing access to the highly effective antidote Narcan.

“As we attempt to address the underlying issues driving the recent rise in heroin and opioid abuse and work to expand available treatment, it is critical that we do whatever we can to keep our family members, friends and neighbors alive,” said Senator Andrew Lanza. “Assemblyman Cusick and I recently sponsored legislation, now a life-saving Law in New York, making it legal for non-medical persons to administer Naloxone to another person in order to prevent opioid/heroin overdoses from becoming fatal. With overdoses now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, we have to do everything we can to ensure that this free, life-saving training is made available to as many people as possible. Last night we had a record-high turnout and I thank Assemblyman Mike Cusick, Councilman Steven Matteo, Community Health Action of Staten Island,  Principal Giordano of Susan E. Wagner High School and all the attendees for their hard work.”

Assemblyman Michael Cusick said, “As Staten Island continues to struggle with the scourge of drug abuse it is essential that we equip our neighbors with the tools and knowledge on how to save someone experiencing an overdose. While we recognize that this training does not treat the root cause of the drug abuse problem, we cannot ignore  the reality of our current situation. Through these trainings, we seek to not only educate and equip people with the tools to save a life, but we want to inform people of the dangers of these drugs, how they adversely affect your life and your relationships, and how essential it is to spread the word on avoiding drug use in the first place. I want to thank my partners in government, particularly Senator Lanza, Community Health Action of Staten Island, and Susan E. Wagner High School for hosting what will surely be an informative evening.”

Gary M. Giordano, Principal of Susan E. Wagner High School said, “My heart goes out to the individuals and families who are impacted by this epidemic.  It took a lot of courage and a lot of love to be there last night to make every attempt to address this horrific problem.  Our elected officials on Staten Island teamed up to do what was best for our community.  As a Staten Island resident and educator, I could not be more proud of their genuine concern and commitment.”

Diane Arneth, President/CEO of CHASI said, “Community Health Action, whose mission is to bring communities back to health, is pleased to partner with Senator Lanza, Assemblyman Cusick, Susan E. Wagner High School and all the community leaders who supported this important event to provide life-saving information and training to families in our borough dealing with the devastating disease of addiction.”

Angela Attanasio,  Associate Vice President of Harm Reduction and Addiction Services at CHASI said, “I am truly touched and inspired by the courage the students have displayed in hosting this event. We are finally breaking through the silence and stigma related to addiction. The Staten Island Community needs to know there is help available on all levels. We need to continue speaking up and courageously fight against this dreadful disease!”

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