ERIE COUNTY -- New York State recently offered $2.7 million in funding for an opioid treatment center in Broome County, but the Broome County Legislature has declined the initial offer and will not re-consider the matter until January, 2018.
In a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Leader John Flanagan, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz indicated the county's desire to bring the center to Erie County.
“A Center such as this would be a critical hub for action against the opioid epidemic and would provide a base of operations for countywide and potentially regional efforts. This epidemic is the scourge of our time and demands that we come together as a community to address the issue, provide treatment and services for the addicted and those impacted by addiction, and begin to heal as a community,” said Poloncarz in a released statement. “Opioid addiction does not wait, it does not take days off, and addicted individuals literally could be moments away from the dose that kills them. We must act with alacrity and do all that we can today to stop that from happening. This game-changing Center will save lives, and if Broome County chooses not to pursue it then Erie County is definitely interested in doing so.”
The state is giving $2.7 million dollars towards operating the center. The full text of Poloncarz's letter can be read here: http://bit.ly/2iWSZna
