oped BTR letters & comments
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR JANUARY 3-9, 2020 13
Taking care of
federal workers
Banning fentanyl analogs
BY ANDRE BASSO
Governor Cuomo has proposed
a ban on drugs that
mimic the deadly synthetic opioid
fentanyl, which is fueling
the opioid crisis ravaging the
country. The legislation would
make fentanyl analogs subject
to the same criminal sales and
possession penalties as other
controlled substances.
Mountainside treatment
center applauds this effort to
stem the supply of synthetic
opioids and analogs. Due to
Gov. Cuomo’s ongoing actions
to combat the opioid epidemic,
including making Narcan – a
medication that reverses opioid
overdose – available at state
pharmacies without a prescription,
opioid overdose deaths in
New York State are decreasing
for the fi rst time in a decade,
down 13.46 percent in 2018. Opioid
related overdose hospitalizations
are also down by 7.1
percent.
Criminalizing the sale and
possession of addictive substances
strengthens the fi ght
against the opioid crisis, but
there is still more to be done.
As we have seen with the restrictions
on prescription opioids,
addiction does not end
when the supply drops. People
who are struggling with addiction
will look for other ways to
satisfy their cravings. Many
people who previously misused
prescription opioids turned
to illicit drugs, such as heroin
and fentanyl, to ward off withdrawal
symptoms caused by
no longer having access to prescription
opioids.
Based on fentanyl’s addictive
nature and the high probability
of death with use, fentanyl
is the riskiest drug this
country has encountered. It
is 100 times more powerful
than morphine and 50 times
more potent than heroin, making
it dangerous even in tiny
amounts. A lethal dose is two
milligrams, about the weight
of a mosquito. Because fentanyl
is inexpensive, readily
available, and delivers a powerful
high, dealers often mix
it with other substances – such
as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine,
and MDMA – to
reduce their costs and create
greater demand.
Unfortunately, many people
are unaware fentanyl has been
included in their drug of choice.
The number of Mountainside
clients who listed fentanyl as
a drug they used doubled from
2018 to 2019; however, nearly
three times as many people
tested positive for it. Because
people who struggle with fentanyl
addiction face the highest
risk of death, it is Mountainside’s
belief that the respective
interventions and treatments
used should refl ect this.
Research indicates that
the longer a person engages
in treatment, the greater their
likelihood for ongoing recovery.
Addiction is not a moral
failing but a chronic disease.
As such, Mountainside fully
supports legislation that expands
insurance coverage for
addiction treatment.
To save even more lives
across the country, Mountainside
calls on lawmakers in all
levels of government to change,
implement, or enforce legislation
that:
Provides true mental health
and addiction treatment parity.
Regulates the healthcare insurance
industry so that it covers
addiction treatment. Based
on the National Survey on Drug
Use and Health study, of the
roughly 314,000 United States
residents who needed drug addiction
treatment in 2018 but
couldn’t get it, about 100,000
had health coverage that did
not cover the full – or even the
partial – cost of treatment.
Improves the effi cacy of
care in the addiction treatment
industry by introducing
quality standards. Drug rehabilitation
centers are largely
unregulated, and many do not
provide evidence-based, effective
care.
We need to work together to
take a multi-faceted approach
to the opioid epidemic. We must
address it as the public health
crisis it is and be quick to act.
According to a report issued by
the White House, the economic
and social costs of the opioid
crisis are enormous, with estimates
approaching $80 billion
per year. The cost to address
this issue could range from $60
billion for treatment over the
next fi ve years to $100 billion
for a combined approach to prevention,
treatment, and community
resilience efforts. If we
do not take efforts to attack the
epidemic from all fronts, then
the cost to the country will
reach levels we can never afford.
(Andre Basso, is the chief
operating offi cer of Mountainside
alcohol and drug addiction
treatment center, in New Canaan,
CT.)
Dear editor,
Congress passed a $3.1 %
salary increase for federal
employees effective January
1, 2020 as part of the recent
$1.4 trillion spending package.
This will fully fund the
federal government until September
30, 2020. It included increasing
overall spending by
another $50 billion. Then the
President signed it into law.
Based upon end of year personnel
evaluations, they are
also eligible for cash awards
ranging from several hundred
to several thousand dollars or
more. There are also bonus ingrade
step increases rather
than waiting for periodic automatic
in grade step increases.
These raise the base salary
between one to two thousand
dollars. They receive monthly
transit checks to help pay for
commuting by public transportation
to work. This can
average one to two hundred
dollars monthly. They usually
pay for weekly or monthly bus,
subway or commuter rail tickets.
These transit passes can
be used after work evenings
and weekends for non work
related travel. Contrast all
of the above with the meager
1.6% cost of living increases
for retired federal employees
enrolled in the old Civil Service
Retirement or newer Federal
Retirement systems along
with millions more Americans
on Social Security.
The current COLA calculation
for retired federal employees
and those on Social
Security fails to accurately
measure seniors spending.
In 2019, spending by seniors
for health Insurance went up
18.6%. Many retired people in
their 60s and 70s are taking
care of parents, aunt, uncles,
older brothers and sisters as
more and more people are living
into their 80s and 90s. Others
serve as parents to grandchildren
and foster kids. The
2020 COLA of 1.6% will be insuffi
cient to keep up with various
costs that have grown at
a higher rate. Isn’t it only fair
that the Congress and President
offer retired federal employees
and those on Social Security
the same cost of living
increases as current federal
employees?
Larry Penner
Kettle, meet
the pot
Dear editor,
As I’m not looking to pen
an in-depth editorial reply,
I’ll keep this response to
Pasquale Pelosi’s letter which
appeared in your 12/27/19-
1/2/20 BTR issue concise and
to the point.
Pelosi closed his with, “In
his unthinking devotion to
ideology this columnist has
once again demonstrated his
intellectual dishonesty.” Having
read enough of Pelosi’s
letters over these many years,
I can only say, “Kettle, meet
the pot.”
Thank you, BTR, for your
open forum were all voices
are permitted.
Michael A. Chmieloski
as stated
This week’s As Stated includes
Councilman Andy
King’s reaction to the collapse
of the 300-foot monopole at 500
Baychester Avenue and Senator
Gustavo Rivera’s shock
over Governor Cuomo’s veto
of a drug prescription bill that
was intended to safeguard
healthcare consumers.
Councilman Andy
King’s statement regarding
Co-op City’s fallen wind turbine
monoplole..... “For the
past year and a half Co-op City
residents, my North Bronx
colleagues and I have fought
against these signs and billboards
(at 500 Baychester Avenue).
I am very angry and disappointed.
“We’ve been fi ghting this
and now we have to deal with
the damage. This proves that
developers have put their business
over people. The NYC Department
of Buildings said
they would have a response
in January, but today’s events
indicates we need to expedite
all actions regarding these
signs.”
Senator Gustavo Rivera’s
statement on the governor’s
veto of a bill to regulate pharmacy
benefi ts managers.....
“The Governor’s decision to
veto S.6531, which would address
transparency, affordability,
and fairness in the
prescription drug market by
regulating Pharmacy Benefi t
Managers (PBMs), is discouraging
and truly concerning.
I was proud to be a prime cosponsor
of the bill after working
very closely with Senator
Breslin and Assemblyman
Gottfried on crafting a bill that
would safeguard New Yorkers
and local pharmacies by helping
to rein in PBMs that are
recklessly infl ating the costs
of prescription drugs.
“Among climbing healthcare
costs, outrageously
priced prescription drugs
are a signifi cant challenge to
many New Yorkers and this
bill would have asserted that
prices and decisions by providers,
pharmacists, and patients
should be based on care
needs before profi t margins.
“I am astonished that the
governor would veto this
much needed bill.....”
COUNCILMAN ANDY KING
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers.
They should be addressed care of this newspaper
to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times
Reporter, 3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465,
or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com. All letters,
including those submitted via e-mail, MUST
be signed and with a verifi able address and telephone
number included. Note that the address
and telephone number will NOT be published and
the name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication.
The editor reserves the right to edit all
submissions.
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