SOUTHOLD, NY, OCTOBER 2, 2023 – Narcan Rescue Stations have now been installed in nearly 20 locations throughout Southold Town continuing the work of Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH), Rich Vandenburgh, owner of Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. and former president of the Greenport Village Business Improvement District (BID), and Tina Wolf, Executive Director of Community Action for Social Justice (CASJ). This initiative in partnership with the Town of Southold began in 2021 due to the tragic deaths of 6 people who overdosed from to fentanyl-laced opioids.
“Unfortunately, it took the tragedy of losing six members of our community to recognize that Southold is not immune to the dangers of fentanyl and of drug and opioid use. We are pleased to host these Narcan Rescue Stations throughout our town buildings so we can do our part to make sure such a tragedy never happens again,” said Scott Russell, Southold Town Supervisor.
Narcan, also known as naloxone, is a medication designed to reverse opioid overdose delivered by a nasal spray. The Narcan Rescue Station project is the first-of-its-kind on Long Island. All Narcan Rescue Stations are supplied free of charge to local businesses in the Town of Southold. Free training is supplied by CASJ. Narcan Rescue Stations are provided by Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital.
A Narcan Rescue Station can be found in Town Hall adjacent to the AED, just steps from the Town Clerk’s Office. Each Narcan Rescue Station contains two doses of Narcan as well as instructions. The stations are also stocked with fentanyl test strips. These stations are monitored and resupplied by participating establishments.
Vandenburgh explained, “After the tragic episode in Greenport in the summer of 2021 when six people died due to overdose from fentanyl-laced cocaine, we got together with Tina Wolf of CASJ, Janet Jackowski, SBELIH VP Behavioral Health and Social Services, Linda Sweeney, SBELIH VP Foundation/External Affairs, and realized that we needed to do something more long-lasting that would help. I suggested the idea of creating emergency Narcan Rescue Stations similar to AED Stations. We worked to get them into as many restaurants and other locations as possible because you want to have immediate access when it's needed. While initially, there was hesitancy from local businesses, we've had success in getting broader acceptance. I applaud Southold Town for getting behind this project. This is not an endorsement of a lifestyle. Narcan is something you never want to use, but when you are faced with that moment of having to act, it’s a tool that can be available to help save a life.”
“This collaboration is groundbreaking,” says Wolf, Executive Director of CASJ. “We’re a small community-based organization, so working collaboratively with partners like SBELIH, Rich Vandenburgh of Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., and the Town of Southold is essential to spread the message about Narcan. The drug supply has changed over the last few years. Narcan is needed throughout the population because even recreational users are at risk of overdose from fentanyl that has been cut into other drugs like cocaine and pills. Making Narcan more widely accessible is essential to saving lives.”
Jackowski, SBELIH VP Behavioral Health and Social Services, said, “This initiative saves lives while honoring the people who overdosed in 2021.”
Narcan Rescue Stations can be found in the Mattituck, Southold, and Greenport School Districts as well as Claudio’s, Claudio’s, Ellen's on Front, Front Street Station, Greenport Harbor Brewery Co., Greenport American Legion, East End Seaport Museum, Macari Vineyard, Noah's, Nofo Wellness Center, Raphael Vineyard, Little Fish, ELI Kampground, and Southold Physical Therapy. Pending installations include the Mattituck Park District, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Peconic Bay Yacht Club, and Silver Sands Motel.
Confidential in-home training is now available by calling (866) 599-7260 or info@nysocialjustice.org.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE NARCAN RESCUE STATIONS AND CONFIDENTIAL NARCAN TRAINING
Photo Caption: Linda Sweeney, SBELIH VP Foundation/External Affairs; Scott Russell, Southold Town Supervisor; Rich Vandenburgh, owner of Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.; Tina Wolf, Executive Director of Community Action for Social Justice (CASJ).
Photo Credit: Sonja Reinholt Derr, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital
About Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital:
As part of Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital (SBELIH) combines the best in academic and community medicine, improving access to advanced medical care for residents of the North Fork and Shelter Island. With 70 beds, SBELIH is Suffolk County’s first hospital, serving the North Fork since 1905. SBELIH provides care to 25,000 year-round residents and expanding to 60,000 summer residents with comprehensive healthcare solutions, including behavioral health, medical-surgical, orthopaedics and general surgery, wound care, interventional pain management and GI, advanced ambulatory care, diagnostic, and physical therapy services. The hospital is also a clinical campus and training site for Stony Brook Medicine, with its first SBELIH Psychiatry resident having graduated in 2022.
