Rep. Delgado Joins Ulster Community Leaders to Launch High Risk Mitigation Team Initiative to Address Opioid Addiction

Statement

KINGSTON, NY--This morning, U.S. Representative Antonio Delgado (NY-19) joined Ellenville Regional Hospital President and CEO Steven Kelley, New York State Senator Jen Metzger, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, and Columbia Professor Timothy Hunt, PhD to discuss the launch of a new collaborative effort to address the drug epidemic in upstate NY communities. Today's press conference focused on the new High Risk Mitigation Team initiative, which employs the Network Engagement Tracker and uses data and predictive factors to trace opioid addiction in the area and stop overdoses before they occur.

"As I travel all across the district and meet with members of the community, there are few conversations as painful as those with parents who have lost a child to overdose. The opioid crisis is an urgent issue in our area that has grown worse throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to do everything we can at all levels of government to address this epidemic," said Rep. Delgado. "I was honored to join this group of true leaders in this space to help launch the High Risk Mitigation Team initiative that will help leverage the resources in our region to better trace those living with addition and work, as a community, to stop overdoses before they happen."

"We have many partners engaged in the HRMT program across three Hudson Valley counties. Using the NET tools, case managers may predict individual's increased risk of overdose and engage to prevent deaths," explained Steven L. Kelley, President & CEO of Ellenville Regional Hospital. "This is truly innovative in the fight against opioids and it is starting here in Ulster County."

The High Risk Mitigation Team (HRMT) uses the Network Engagement Tracker (NET) built by Competitive Solutions Incorporated. This program is set to be launched in Ulster, Greene, and Columbia counties, and it is a collaborative project between the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan, Samadhi, Ulster County Department of Health and Mental Health, Twin County Recovery Services, and People USA. HRMT and NET gather relevant variables that will give predictive indications of an enrollee's potential for substance use that could result in a fatality. Critical factors often indicate when a person may use substances. Increased engagement, tracking, and outreach, can provide the necessary intervention when these critical factors occur and can aid in the prevention of fatal overdoses.

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