Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino host a roundtable on the heroin and opioid crisis on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts in the Town of Mayfield. Dusten Rader/Express Editor

By DUSTEN RADER
Express Editor

TOWN OF MAYFIELD — Erinn Eschler of Gloversville, who serves as peer engagement specialist for the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Prevention Council in Johnstown, believes it is of extreme importance that a message of hope and recovery is real is spread throughout the community.
Eschler, who said she is proudly in recovery, shared her message of hope with a roundtable on the heroin and opioid crisis led by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts.
“We have to build hope and belief that recovery is real,” Eschler said. “If we don’t all believe it, why would anyone else? Pursuing recovery is not a shameful thing. I’m very proudly in recovery.”
Eschler said that from her experience — receiving out-patient treatment five times — is not an effective way to address substance use disorder. Neither is 7 or 14 days of treatment, which is the norm.
“Getting into treatment quickly was an obstacle,” Eschler said. “I had to fail at an out-patient program to be accepted into an in-patient program. My fear was that if I failed then I would die. The stigma is so large and the isolation so deep that to say to someone who is food and shelter insecure and whose family is not speaking with them to change, is glib. You can’t recover from a cold if you’re homeless, how are you supposed to take on life-skill changing coping mechanism of dual diagnosis mental wellness and substance disorder issues? I needed all of the team, the tools — all of the organizations need to be linked together. We’re all on the same team, it’s a village endeavor.”
HFM Prevention Council Executive Director Rachel Truckenmiller said that substance use disorder is a major problem for this community and every other. Local facilities have waiting lists, and despite not advertising, “they have found us,” she said.
“Even with our brand new recovery center we’ve already outgrown the facilities,” Truckenmiller said. “There is more need than we have people.”

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino host a roundtable on the heroin and opioid crisis on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts in the Town of Mayfield.
Dusten Rader/Express Editor

Congresswoman Stefanik is a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, which she said focuses on prevention, treatment, education, and recovery. She opened the roundtable discussion by providing statistics about the state of the addiction crisis. She noted that in 2016, more than 3,600 New Yorkers died from an opioid overdose and in some counties in her District saw a doubling or tripling of fatalities in recent years.
“We all have been impacted by its harmful effects,” Stefanik said. “I’ve had a series of roundtables throughout the District. One of the issues that every community has in common is combating the opioid and heroin epidemic.”
Stefanik, who represents the 21st Congressional District, noted that a lack of bed space at recovery centers is an issue across her 12-county District, which includes all or parts of Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer counties and beyond. Stefanik added that the district comprises about 40 percent of the geography of the state.
“There is clearly a need for these types of recovery centers,” Stefanik said.
Representatives from Hamilton County were also present at the roundtable, including Long Lake Supervisor Clark Seaman and Indian Lake Supervisor Brian Wells. The supervisors echoed Stefanik’s concern about a lack of facilities and transportation.
“We have a problem — there is no doubt,” Seaman said. “We’re seeing it in Hamilton County, and our challenge is that we don’t have facilities so we have to partner with Fulton and other counties to get some of those services. Transportation for all of our residents seeking treatment of any sort is a real problem.”
Fulton County District Attorney Chad Brown shared concerns about Fentanyl, which the county has seen an increase of. He also noted that Fulton County had the first case of Carfentanil in the Capital Region. Brown said first responders, officers, and probation are at risk of exposure to dangerous and potentially deadly drugs. Giardino added that his department recently acquired a Narcan kit specifically designed for the K-9 Unit, which is also at risk of exposure.
Brown also said that jail is not the ideal place for someone with substance use disorder or mental health issues.
HFM Prevention Council’s Truckenmiller wanted to make it clear that characterizing the situation as a heroin and opioid crisis is understating the severity of the issue. She acknowledged that roughly 10 percent of individuals who take opioid pain medications become addicted, and that many of them turn to heroin as a less expensive substitute. However, she pointed out that in the recovery community the discussion revolves more around the “addiction crisis.” She noted that deaths attributable to alcohol are actually significantly greater than that of opioids.
“Opioids are extremely deadly, and so they get a lot of attention, but the truth is alcoholism numbers are increasing at the same time,” Truckenmiller said. “We shouldn’t lose sight of alcoholism and what it does to families and individuals.”
Fulton County Sheriff Giardino asked participants to touch on the topic of mental health, and how it relates to substance use disorder. Several participants agreed that mental health is connected and noted that a significant number of individuals treated for substance use disorder are also treated for underlying mental health issues.
Fulton County Probation Office representatives noted that a significant number of crimes committed, ranging from larceny to welfare fraud, can be attributed to individuals suffering from substance use disorder.
Despite ongoing efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis, Stefanik said Congress has more work to do on the issue. She noted that Congress is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop pain medication guidelines. She also pointed out that she helped secure more than $10 billion in funding to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic; supported the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act; and helped the house pass the Support for Patients and Communities Act.
The roundtable included more than two dozen representatives from area organizations, including the Rob Constantine Recovery Community and Outreach Center, Nathan Littauer Hospital, Hamilton County Sheriff Department, Herkimer County, Lexington Arc, Fulton Friendship House and the Victorian Manor in Gloversville.