By Forum Staff
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the kickoff meeting for the Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention.
Hochul announced the creation of the task force in the 2023 State of the State address. Chaired by Commissioners Dr. Chinazo Cunningham from the State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASES) and Dr. James McDonald from the State Department of Health, the group includes experts across seventeen state agencies and offices working collaboratively to combat the overdose epidemic in New York State.
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 includes the below members:
Chair – OASAS: Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham
Chair – DOH: Commissioner James McDonald
OMH: Moira Tashjian, Executive Deputy Commissioner
OCFS: Acting Commissioner Suzanne Miles-Gustave
OTDA: Valerie T. Figueroa, Deputy Commissioner, Employment and Income Support Programs
DVS: Dr. Lessie Branch, Special Assistant for Community Engagement
SOFA: Charlie Williams, Assistant Director for Healthy Aging and Longevity
ESD: Maria Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Life Sciences
DCJS: Joseph Popcun, Executive Deputy Commissioner
DFS: Eamon Rock, Deputy Superintendent for Pharmacy Benefits
DOCCS: Dr. Carol Moores, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer
SCOC: Ellen B. Tryon, RN, MAT Unit Supervisor
DHSES: Luci Labriola-Cuffe, Deputy State Fire Administrator
SED: Kathleen DeCataldo, Senior Advisor for Student Support Services
State Police: Captain James Browne, FC BCI
SUNY: Valerie Grey, Senior Vice Chancellor & Chief Hospital and Healthcare Operations Officer
CUNY: Pedro Mateu Gelabert, Associate Professor Community Health and Social Sciences
New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “The opioid crisis is not just a public health issue – it is a crisis of humanity that touches every corner of the State. Governor Hochul’s new Task Force on Overdose Prevention brings all facets of state government together to identify areas for greater collaboration and make specific recommendations on treatment, recovery, and harm reduction programs to expand access to care and save more lives.”
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner and Task Force on Overdose Prevention Chair Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “We continue to experience the worst overdose crisis in history. Governor Hochul’s Inter-Agency Overdose Epidemic Task Force will generate greater collaboration through education, cross training, and sharing of resources to help enhance the State’s efforts to save lives. Bringing so many agencies together to discuss their roles in addressing the epidemic is critically important.”
The Interagency Task Force on Overdose Prevention will hold two public listening sessions to be held in Albany and Staten Island.
Members of the public who wish to submit public comment to the task force should email OverdoseTaskForce@oasas.ny.gov.
