SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — August 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day. National Opioid and Substance Awareness Day follows on September 21 and the month of September is designated as National Recovery Month.

So Jill Hubert-Simon, the new deputy director of Sullivan County’s Department of Public Health and long-time member of the Sullivan County Drug Task Force, reflected on the work being done to tackle the opioid crisis in the county. 

Currently, Sullivan County has the highest opioid overdose death rate in the state, making the efforts of the county’s department of public health and drug task force especially critical.

The task force works to reduce opioid deaths and non-fatal overdoses. Hubert-Simon explained that the group is organized under a pillar system, which recognizes that the drug crisis is multifaceted. For each pillar, there are content experts who work on one specific aspect of the drug problem—e.g. hope and education, policy, treatment and law enforcement.  

The task force “want[s] to make sure [it] increase[s] treatment options so people who have substance abuse can get the help they need,” she said.

And it seems to be doing just that. In July, Sullivan County was officially classified as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). This classification gives Sullivan County access to federal resources the county didn’t have before, such as federal funds and targeted data collection.

For years, despite the county’s notoriously high death rates related to opioids, applications for HIDTA classification were denied, making the recent approval a long time coming.

Hubert-Simon hopes that the recent classification will enable “access to more data, more information and more resources that will make parts of the work we do a little easier.”

Currently, individuals on the drug task force dedicate time voluntarily but have other jobs and responsibilities. However, one of the major wins from the HIDTA classification is that it provides the financial support to hire a full-time staff member dedicated to looking over and closely monitoring drug data for Sullivan County. 

In addition to the aid that comes with the HIDTA classification, the drug task force has made headway in expanding access to NARCAN in Sullivan County. NARCAN is a drug used to treat someone who is experiencing an overdose, and though it is not a cure for substance abuse, it’s a vital tool to prevent deaths, she said.

Hubert-Simon expanded on that point. “NARCAN saves a life at a particular moment,” and given the “opportunity to live… maybe at some point they’ll be able to get the help they need.”

Expanding treatment options is another important part of the puzzle. Hubert-Simon cited the opening of the methadone clinic in Monticello, the mobile treatment van through Bridge Back to Life and the introduction of Hope not Handcuffs.

In addition to new programs to tackle opioid use, the task force also continues the ongoing Drug Take-Back initiative. There are drop boxes where people can bring any type of medication they do not want—no questions asked—at the Monticello, Liberty and Fallsburg police stations, as well as in the department of public health’s family services building.

The next Drug Take-Back Day is Saturday, October 28, and Hubert-Simon encouraged the public to bring their non-essential medications to the drop boxes. 

For more information and to learn about upcoming programs, visit www.sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth/Opoidprevention.