Marking International Overdose Awareness Day, New York Congressman Paul Tonko toured a treatment site in Albany today.
Project Safe Point provides harm reduction efforts that strives to improve the health and quality of life of people who use drugs in the greater Capital Region.
Thursday afternoon Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th District who serves as co-chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus, took a site tour, learned how to administer the opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan and participated in a roundtable discussion.
"Just having gone through the training on Narcan is incredibly important, you know, and to encourage people to understand that they can, at any moment be called upon to be a good samaritan," said Tonko.
Kevin Cavanaugh is a recovering heroin addict who has battled addiction since he was 10-years-old. He's been clean for nearly 8 months.
"Basically it was my escape. And that's kind of where it started off. But for the most part, once the ball starts rolling, this thing is a beast," said Cavanaugh, "like the monster is gonna take your life from you eventually, like they say in the rooms, jails, institutions or death. Check them all off. So that's why when I say I'm actually grateful to be sitting here, like, it's not a joke."
Christina Conigliaro is Clinical Director for Catholic Charities Care Coordination Services.
"We have a 24-hour hotline, which provides 24-hour access, rapid access to buprenorphine, which is important," Conigliaro said. "So if somebody needs access, at that moment, at that time, they're ready to receive help. And they can call in and get services and also be referred out to a facility of their choice. So we do that, we come in, and they receive help at their own discretion on their own time, by the means that they feel comfortable, and that they feel like they are part of their treatment."
Tonko, who has long advocated for expanding addiction treatment, praised the work being done at Project Safe Point.
"And I think it's working, they're meeting people where they're at, and they've got opportunities with training. And you know, the Narcan training today is important. You know, any of us could be called upon to be a good samaritan. And if you see those symptoms, if you witness someone with the lip discoloration, with the nail discoloration, with shortness of breath, or they're not breathing, training here tells you that if you have Narcan you can provide and save a life. And you know, the time to point a finger in judgment is well past gone. And we're losing neighbors family and friends to this illness of addiction. And we have to be fully driven to combat it and have the tools in the toolkit."
Roughly 110,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2022, according to the CDC.
