Mountain Lake PBS, together with our public media partners across New York State are examining the addiction and overdose crisis facing New York. This week, in place of our usual Mountain Lake Journal episode, we are featuring this New York State Special Report.
WXXI News’ Evan Dawson hosts a state-wide discussion on how the pandemic and the response have exacerbated the ongoing overdose epidemic.
Expert guests include:
- Chinazo O. Cunningham, M.D., commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
- Indu Gupta, M.D., former commissioner of health at the Onondaga County Health Department, and former co-chair of the Onondaga County Drug Task Force.
- Elaine Hill, Ph.D., associate professor of public health sciences and economics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
- Avi Israel, president and founder of Save the Michaels of the World, an organization that raises awareness of prescription and other drug addictions.
With contributions from multiple New York state PBS stations, the forum also features personal stories of addiction struggles during the pandemic and explores harm reduction strategies currently enacted across the state.