Muller: “It is up to us …”
MIDDLETOWN – The national observance of Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, kicked off in Middletown on Wednesday.
Public officials and advocacy group leaders discussed what Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney called “an opioid binge” in Orange County. He talked of federal legislation aimed at reducing drug abuse.
Linda Muller, president of Cornerstone Family Healthcare, said the issue is a complex one.
“We as a people, as a community, need to continue to collaborate to change societal, medical governmental and industry policies to help educate the general public on the needs, rights and struggles of those seeking recovery,” Muller said. “It’s up to us to continue the fight for affordable and appropriate treatment and to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.”
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, a registered nurse, said society is afraid to talk about the disease and that needs to change.
County Social Services and Mental Health Commissioner Darcie Miller said opioid addiction is a “chronic illness. It is a brain disorder.”
District Attorney David Hoovler is attacking the opioid epidemic through education, treatment and enforcement and he praised the alternatives to incarceration program. County Court Judge Robert Freehill has run the drug diversion program in the county since it was created in 2009. The program is aimed at non-violent offenders and takes one year to complete.
Service agencies banding together to fight the drug scourge in Orange County include RECAP, Catholic Charities, Honor and Cornerstone Family Healthcare.
