A new effort is underway to fight the opioid epidemic in Syracuse.
Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens said it’s no secret that there are people in the city who are struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues.
"We may see them in our neighborhoods. We may see them as we're walking downtown in their neighborhood parks,” she said. “For the vast majority of us, our hearts go out, and people ask the question of City Hall all the time, 'What can be done to help?'"
Now, Owens said the city is stepping up its efforts, through a partnership with Helio Health. The Syracuse Crisis Intervention Prevention Program, or SCIPP, will send two-person trained response teams to canvas the city.
They’ll work to reduce overdose deaths, divert unnecessary emergency room visits, and connect people to services to help. Helio Service Director Tania Lyons said this expands existing programs.
"We've added a couple of teams and changed the model to be ‘boots on the ground’ traveling around the city on a day-to-day basis instead of a reactive waiting for crisis calls to come in," Lyons said.
SCIPP teams will be canvassing the city from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The state provided the money for the program, using opioid relief settlement funds.