'I need this to stop' - Overdose victims' families say something needs to be done to stop fentanyl epidemic
Victims' families say more needs to be done to educate the public about drug use and overdoses.
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Families in Suffolk County sounded the alarm Tuesday about the deadly fentanyl epidemic happening across the country.
During the news conference, a bell rung every eight minutes to represent one person dying from a fentanyl overdose every eight minutes.
Joanne Pacheco, of Bellmore, lost her 28-year-old son to a fentanyl-laced heroin overdose on April 4.
"I need this to stop - it's a disease that needs to be helped," Pacheco said.
Purple rocks placed at the Suffolk County Legislature also represent the 175 lives lost every day from fentanyl.
"Read these rocks, read the names and ages, look at their beautiful, youthful faces," said Carol Trotterre, whose son died of an overdose. "They represent a generation of young, promising people who were our future."
Police say there were 431 confirmed opioid overdose deaths in Suffolk County in 2022. So far, in the first four months of 2023, they say 87 people died from overdoses.
Victims' families say more needs to be done to educate the public about drug use and overdoses.
Addiction experts say access to treatment is available for those who need it.
"If you are an active user, we know you are in pain, we know you are struggling, we know it's sickness," says executive director for the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Steve Chassman. "Please reach out for help."
In April, the Suffolk County Legislature approved bill which requires Narcan kits to be available at county facilities wherever defibrillators are located.
