The Erie County Opiate Epidemic Task Force was formed through the Executive Order 14 in 2016, as a response to the epidemic being declared a “Public Health Crisis”. This group has more than 500 members who meet quarterly to discuss.
Substance, opioid and stimulant use has caused thousands of deaths in Erie County. This epidemic continuously evolves and challenges people’s health and wellness, requiring an ongoing and proactive response to effectively address it. The Task Force commits to combating the epidemic in a peer-run model, advocating for increased harm reduction efforts, expanded access to treatment, and effective, unique reporting of overdose data to properly and quickly analyze the situation in Erie County. These efforts have served as an example for task forces throughout the United States.
Opiate Task Force Mission
To provide a framework for organizations and individuals from across the opiate overdose continuum to collaborate, develop, and share best practices through timely sharing of information to assist individuals and their loved ones fighting the disease of addiction and to undertake prevention efforts that educate the community on the dangers of addiction.
Opiate Task Force Goals & Key Values
- Prevent opioid and all drug overdoses and deaths.
- Identify and treat opioid use disorder (OUD), overall substance use disorder (SUD), and support individuals’ recovery along with building resilience in individuals across the lifespan.
- Ensure and improve the health wellness of people who use opioids and other drugs.
- Use data to promote, inform, and create evidence-based strategies.
- Improve data and information collection, analysis to identify trends, evaluate interventions, and provide timely communication.
- Build and maintain a robust infrastructure capable of supporting the priority activities identified by task force members.
- Collaborate with new and different partners as part of the opioid epidemic response.
- Implement identified activities subject to available funding from federal, state, community, and philanthropic sources.
- Reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorder and identifying it as a chronic medical condition.