Weekly action items and updates from GHC #FairShare4Harlem
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| STRIVING FOR A HARLEM WHERE ALL PEOPLE CAN THRIVE
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| OVERDOSE DEATH RATES-BY GEOGRAPHY The Geography of Age Adjusted, Per Capital Overdose Deaths |
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| The age-adjusted opioid toxicity deaths (per 100 000 population) in the USA and Canada, 2020 show how West Virginia is a clear epicenter of overdose deaths. |
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| DRUG COURTS Yes, New York State Has Them, But...
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| Non-violent offenders arrested with a narcotics charge can voluntarily enter New York State's Drug Court program in which the defendant pleads guilty to the most serious offense, and then if s/he stays with a treatment/recovery plan, this plea erased and charges are dropped. According to a 20 year-old study, the rates at which drug court graduates re-offend were significantly reduced. Based on the accomplishments of New York's drug court system of 141 locations, drug courts have been opened throughout the country. |
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| Earlier, in August, NY Focus noted that: |
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"by 2016, the results were a mixed bag: Drug courts had enabled tens of thousands of New Yorkers to avoid incarceration, but about half of all participants failed out. To get into the program, many had to plead guilty to the highest charge they faced — and faced automatic prison sentences when they failed. In New York City, just one in three of those who made it through graduated with a job. Two of five wound up on Medicaid"
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| NY Focus and others have repeatedly noted that obtaining information and/or data from New York's drug court system - in order to be able to assess its effectiveness (or lack thereof) - is next to impossible. According to NY Focus: "The state’s court system has not released a report on New York City’s drug courts in seven years. It has largely stopped publishing information on how many people are referred to the program, how many complete treatment, and what their outcomes are. And the last statewide evaluation — which analyzed 86 courts and found a “relatively modest” impact on recidivism — was conducted in 2013."
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| JOSHUA CLENNON A Candidate's Perspective on the Addiction Crisis |
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| A member of The Greater Harlem Coalition - Joshua Clennon - has recently declared his candidacy for New York State Assembly District 70. Joshua recently sent us a few of his thoughts on the addiction crisis. In his paper, titled "A New Path for Community-Centered, Equitable, and Effective Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Harlem", Joshua lays out his vision of 4 key ways in which he would begin to approach this complex and ever-evolving crisis as Harlem's State Assembly Member:
- Equitably Distributing Opioid Treatment Facilities for Community Harmony
- It’s essential to recalibrate our approach to the placement of opioid treatment facilities in light of treatment redlining and systemic oversaturation.
- Modernizing Treatment - A Holistic Vision
- A comprehensive care system that includes strategies to reduce youth drug use, addresses the structures that feed low-income community members onto the path of addiction
- Shifting Focus from Safe Injection Sites to Holistic Alternatives
- Transition towards funding preventative strategies and programs that center recovery while saving lives in the immediate term
- Combating Fentanyl Trafficking and Standardizing Medication Disclosure
- New York State needs to tackle the critical issue of fentanyl trafficking
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| We are running to build a New York that cares for everyone in need, and that offers hope and effective healing to those who are struggling https://joshuaclennon.com/. |
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