I was happy to learn that a bipartisan majority in the NYS Senate advanced a measure to make the opioid antagonist Naloxone (trade name: Narcan) widely available.

Making Narcan widely available to reverse opioid overdoses is an effective and evidence-based practice that has been used successfully by communities throughout New York. In fact, it was the primary strategy employed by Ulster County in 2018 to reduce overdose related fatalities by 41% in a little over a year. At that time, Ulster County had the second highest rate of opioid fatalities of all 62 counties in New York.

There are times when we need to put our differences aside and work together to address our common and most pressing challenges, and this is one of them. When you honor me with the opportunity to serve as your Senator, I look forward to working with colleagues of every party to help keep our communities and families healthy and drug free.