Kicking Off National Prevention Week, Senator Kaplan Passes Legislation Addressing Addiction Crisis, Announces Upcoming Narcan & Overdose Prevention Training

(Albany, NY) Senator Anna M. Kaplan and the New York State Senate Majority kicked off National Prevention Week, which helps increase public awareness of, and action around substance use disorders, by passing new legislation that addresses the crisis of addiction on Long Island and around New York State. Senator Kaplan also announced an upcoming Narcan and Overdose Prevention Training being held in partnership with Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD).

Senator Anna M. Kaplan said “As we deal with the crisis of addiction in New York State, it’s important to recognize that prevention is one of our most powerful tools in the fight against this disease. My colleagues and I in the Senate Majority are committed to doing more to help prevent young people from starting down the dark path towards addiction in the first place, and we will continue to do everything we can to address this crisis from all angles.”

The legislation passed today includes:

• S2507 (Senator Anna M. Kaplan) - Will expand the use by health care providers of evidence-based tools like "Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment," or SBIRT, which is proven to help people turn their lives around before they start experiencing the more severe consequences of addiction.
• S4741A (Senator Pete Harckham) - "Stephen's Law," named in memory of Stephen Canastraro Jr., directs medical providers to call a patient's loved ones-individuals who already have the patient's consent to access their medical information-and informs them of life threatening warning signs of relapse, in an effort to save their life.
• S1668 (Senator John Brooks) - Requires that when a cause of death is related to an opioid overdose, the certificate of death will include the specific opioid responsible.

Senator Kaplan has partnered with Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence to provide free Narcan & Overdose Prevention training to members of the community. It will take place May 28, 2019 from 7pm-8:30pm at the "Yes We Can" Community Center in Westbury. More details can be found at: https://www.nysenate.gov/calendar/events/anna-m-kaplan/may-28-2019/save-life-narcan-overdose-prevention-training