HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -“There’s a lot of people that are turning to pills and heroin to cope with many different issues and we have to provide services to help those people,” said Mayor Kamal Johnson. He knew all three people who likely overdosed over the last eight days. They were all under 40.
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The suspected overdoses happened in Columbia County. Two of which specifically in Hudson. “I think that it’s just an epidemic that we’re dealing with right now,” stated Mayor Johnson.
The Columbia-Greene Addiction Coalition urges the community to check in on loved ones they suspect might be using. “The majority of fatal overdoses happen in private homes. They often happen when there is someone there who can administer Narcan but because drug use is so stigmatized, people who are using substances don’t want to tell their loved ones that this is going on. So they hide it from them,” described Hannah Calhoun, Executive Director.
She works to make sure there are reversal drugs and test strips available to the community. For example, the Henry Hudson Waterfront Park has a Naloxone box that anyone can take from. A small step in the right direction…