The New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) despatched a letter to the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board (OSFAB) this week rejecting two of the board’s suggestions to fund hurt discount efforts beneath the Department of Health.
Harm discount contains a wide range of remedies together with needle exchanges, fentanyl strips, in-patient therapy and protected injection websites.
“Harm reduction is basically one thing,” Avi Israel of Save the Michaels of the World instructed Capital Tonight. “And that’s to keep a person alive. If a person isn’t alive, you can’t treat them.”
It’s arguably one of many OSFAB’s priorities — of the $128,820,000 the board was approved to advocate, the most important proportion of the cash, 22%, was to be spent on hurt discount.
But in its letter, OASAS rejected the board’s suggestions to fund hurt discount through the Department of Health, opting as an alternative to maintain the cash for its personal, new, hurt discount unit.
Here is the related passage:
“In compliance with this requirement, the State rejects the next Board suggestions:
Appendix A, Section 1 (pg. 25), Harm Reduction Investments
• “As reflected in the meeting minutes, all dollars for Harm Reduction will go to the Department of Health for appropriate disbursement with collaboration with other agencies.”
This suggestion violates the New York State Constitution, particularly, the Board doesn’t have the authority to direct and spend State monies. The authority to direct and spend State monies lies with the Executive and the Legislature.”
According to Israel, the OSFAB doesn’t direct or spend state cash, as OASAS’ letter states. It merely recommends how you can spend settlement monies.
“We as a board do not direct anything. We make recommendations,” Israel stated.
He additionally questioned whether or not the creator of the letter understands the regulation.
“I think this letter that we got, I’m sorry to say, is hogwash. It’s garbage. It doesn’t make sense. It’s stupid. Whoever wrote it really is not an attorney,” he continued.
OASAS’ second rejection dealt with overdose prevention facilities which aren’t authorized beneath federal regulation; nevertheless, New York City hosts two overdose prevention facilities inside its jurisdiction.
In an e-mail to Capital Tonight, OASAS spokesman Evan Frost despatched the next assertion:
“Harm reduction remains an important part of the OASAS continuum of care. The new harm reduction unit will continue to guide the agency’s ongoing approach to these services, including by working with other agencies and community partners to support these services to all areas of New York State.”
What the letter leaves out is that DOH, not OASAS, has been on the forefront of hurt discount for over 10 years.
Israel and different members of the habit restoration neighborhood see these rejections as an influence seize by OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham.
Dr. Cunningham has a formidable resume, together with instructing drugs as a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has additionally manufactured from examine of habit and habit therapy.
But her background doesn’t impress Israel.
“The commissioner… has an attitude that it’s my way or the highway,” he stated.
The subsequent assembly of the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 14.