ALBANY- In response to a surging number of overdoses around the state, the inaugural meeting of the Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention was held to review the state’s current overdose prevention and treatment programs and explore additional solutions. The task force was created following a commitment made by Governor Kathy Hochul in her 2023 State of the State to address New York’s sharp increase in overdoses.
“In my 2023 State of the State address, I outlined our commitment to taking further steps to care for New Yorkers struggling with addiction across our state through the creation of the Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention,” Governor Hochul said. “Turning the tide on illegal substance use requires full coordination across our agencies, and today we take the next step in this ongoing vital work.”
The Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention will review the broad issue areas of illegal substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction with attention to how substance users interact with education, healthcare, criminal justice, housing, and other social service entities. The group will produce a report of their findings in Fall 2023. The mission of the task force will be to increase programmatic coordination, analyze the success of existing state programs, and explore additional solutions to this crisis.
The Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention will hold two public listening sessions to be held in Albany and Staten Island.
