UTICA  — The Oneida County Opioid Task Force held an event that focused on reducing the stigma surrounding substance use disorder featuring local and national advocates for Overdose Awareness Day. 

Oneida County Sheriff Robert M. Maciol, a chair of the opioid task force, spoke about how there have been 537 opioid overdose-related deaths in Oneida County since 2013. 

“Those 537 people, that’s someone’s son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister. That’s family,” Maciol said. “As first responders, we have an obligation, the number one obligation out of everything we do, is to save lives. So we will do everything that we possibly can to do just that: save lives.” 

Maciol said that about 80% of nonfatal overdoses in the community were nonfatal because of first responders.     

District Attorney Scott McNamara, one of the chairs of the task force, said that there have been 49 deaths related to opioid overdoses in 2022. 

“In my office, off the top of my head, I can think of three people who have lost a sibling, or someone very closely related to them to this issue. On a personal level, one of my best friends growing up lost his son, here in Oneida County. My mother, one of her best friends, lost their grandson,” McNamara said. “This hits everybody; it hits people in law enforcement, people in the DA’s office, it’s a problem.” 

He said that the largest issue is fentanyl and trying to help people understand just how dangerous the drug is. On Friday, Aug. 26, the New York state Department of Health released a statement warning the public of fentanyl-laced substances like heroin, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, MDMA and benzodiazepines. 

On the same day, Oneida County reported four opioid-related overdoses in a 24-hour period, with one fatality that was due to fentanyl. There have been five overdose deaths in August, three of which occurred within the week of Aug. 22 to 26.  

Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the stigma related to substance use disorder, spoke about his son Brian’s struggle with addiction which ultimately led to his death. 

Mendell compared the way that Mikey, a young man with cancer in his town, received love and support from the community as he fought off the illness, to the lack of compassion that Brian received as he fought with addiction. 

“As Mikey was going through his treatment and as Brian was in-and-out of his treatment, there was one common difference,” Mendell said. “They were both fighting a difficult disease. But Brian also had to fight the shame and stigma.”   

“If both boys had a disease, why are these stories so vastly different?” Mendell asked. “While Mikey was a patient, Brian was an outcast.”  

Mendell founded Shatterproof after Brian’s death in order to help prevent other families from going through what his did by ending the stigma surrounding substance use disorder, changing the addiction treatment system and educating families about prevention, treatment and recovery.    

The task force then showed a video made by the county to highlight local voices that are working to end the stigma of addiction, including a parent who lost a child to addiction, and a person who experienced addiction and now works to help others who are struggling with substance use disorder. 

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr., one of the chairs of the opioid task force, announced the “Save-a-life” narcan campaign, which involves 12 agencies helping to distribute over 1,200 naloxone kits to businesses and community members in just two months. 

“This has been a serious day, but also a day of hope,” Picente said.

For those who who know someone or may be experiencing substance use disorder, the National Drug Helpline is available 24/7 at 1-844-289-0879.