Suffolk County: Substance abuse and opioid forum next month

Suffolk County and an Albany think tank will host a substance abuse and opioid forum focusing on prevention, treatment and recovery next month in Southampton.

The county is working with the Rockefeller Institute of Government as part of the organization's policy initiative into combating the opioid crisis, said its president, Jim Malatras. About 250 people from neighborhood task forces, medical providers, community organizations and school, are expected to attend the Feb. 6 invitation-only forum.

The think tank's efforts began in upstate Sullivan County more than a year ago and have spread to 10 regions statewide; Suffolk is the fourth region and invited the institute to work with the county.

"We call it research in real time," Malatras said. The goal is to "really try to get at the heart of the problem" through interviews, data and updated policies.

"Suffolk is interesting to us because it's so diverse geographically," he said. "Communities are different and the characters of communities are different." 

The partnership with Suffolk County will begin with the policy forum, aimed at discussions about the next steps to fight the opioid epidemic, officials said.

Long Island has been ravaged by an opioid crisis that’s led to hundreds of overdose deaths and thousands of instances where the drug overdose antidote Narcan was used. Nassau and Suffolk counties have taken an aggressive approach, using awareness campaigns as well as education programs and police enforcement, to fight the epidemic.

“County governments are the laboratories for developing smart public policy to combat the opioid crisis in New York,” County Executive Steve Bellone said in a statement.

The speakers will include Malatras, Suffolk Police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron, the president of the Mineola-based nonprofit Family and Children's Association, the commissioner of the state's Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, and a counselor with the Northport-East Northport Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force. District Attorney Timothy Sini will be the keynote speaker. 

“This forum will cover a broad range of topics, both about what has been accomplished so far and what the challenges are ahead," Sini said in a statement. "We will be discussing everything from prevention and treatment opportunities to new technology and law enforcement strategies being employed to combat the opioid epidemic.”

The Suffolk County Police Department uses "numerous strategies," such as enforcement and education, to battle opioids.

“This platform will provide our department with another opportunity to not only share our insight with our community partners, but to enhance and foster such relationships with the ultimate goal of helping as many people as possible and keeping our neighborhoods safe,” Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said in a statement. 

The event is to be held at the Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons in Southampton from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be live-streamed on Bellone's Facebook page, facebook.com/SteveBellone.