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Carol Carter

At the Milestones in Microbiology ceremony, standing alongside the Department’s commemorative plaque and a NYS Assembly Proclamation, are, from left: Theresa Koehler, ASM President; Carol Carter, Eckard Wimmer, David Thanassi, Jorge Benach; and Lorraine Findlay, from the ASM Committee on the History of Microbiology and Archives. Photo by Constance Brukin Photography

ASM honors the Department for its decades of work against infectious diseases

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University was named a “Milestones in Microbiology” site for its advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases globally. The designation by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) recognizes academic and research programs in which “major developments and pivotal discoveries occurred.”

The RSOM Department is only the 20th program nationally to receive this distinction, the third in New York State and second on Long Island. Faculty from the Department and University gathered at a Wang Center Ceremony at Stony Brook University on October 17 to commemorate the honor. They received a plaque from the ASM that commemorates the outstanding research and discoveries by the Department at large, since its inception at Stony Brook in 1972.

“The designation of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as a Milestones in Microbiology Site is an honor and recognizes the impact the Department has made through its groundbreaking discoveries,” said David Thanassi, PhD, the Zhang Family Endowed Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “This distinction not only reinforces the significant contributions of our former and current faculty, students and staff, but also raises the profile of the Department and University to the wider scientific community.”

“ASM is delighted to recognize Stony Brook University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology as a ‘Milestones in Microbiology’ site for its significant contributions to the microbial sciences,” said Theresa Koehler, PhD, ASM President. “The university’s pioneering work investigating causative agents of human diseases have had far-reaching impacts in the sciences and society at large.” 

The Department was awarded the Milestones distinction for its broad research and many discoveries. Specifically, the ASM recognized the following accomplishments:

  • The landmark discovery by Founding Department Chair Joseph Kates, PhD, that viruses could package enzymes required for their replication, with the first demonstration of the vaccinia virus encapsulating the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase enzyme. This laid the groundwork for targeting viral polymerases as a widespread therapeutic strategy.

 

  • The discovery of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, by Jorge Benach, PhD and colleagues, along with its isolation from patients and characterization of its environmental reservoir, paved the way for successful antibiotic therapies.

 

  • The first description of the de-novo chemical-biochemical synthesis of a virus (poliovirus) in the absence of a natural template by Dr. Eckard Wimmer and the co-discovery of the human receptor of polio virus. This marked the beginning of the total synthesis of microorganisms in the absence of natural templates, enabling new strategies in virus vaccine development.

 

“As a member of the faculty for several decades, it has been inspiring to witness the emergence of ideas and findings in which the outcomes have had such tremendous impact,” said Carol Carter, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “Over the years, I have worked with incredible colleagues, students and supporting staff.”

Five decades impacting infectious disease discovery 

 In addition to the highlighted research of Drs. Kates, Wimmer and Benach, the Department during its five decades made other groundbreaking discoveries. These include pioneering work in molecular biology on the structure of DNA and regulatory mechanisms of RNA, foreshadowing research by others leading to the Nobel prize this year on the role of regulatory RNAs in eukaryotic cells.

The Department has contributed major findings related to tumor formation and cancer, and has long been a leader in research on pathogenic viruses, bacteria and fungi, revealing how these organisms cause infections and interact with our immune defenses. This research has yielded fundamental biological insights and provided a foundation for the development of therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of disease.

Some of the more recent work impacting the world of infectious diseases includes the role of how cancer-causing herpesviruses manipulate the host to establish life-long infections, advancing the understanding of Adenovirus replication, and unraveling the structure of bacterial appendages that enable kidney infections.

“Although the Milestones in Microbiology designation commemorates past accomplishments, it also sets the stage for future innovations and motivates the Department to keep pushing boundaries, pursue new questions, and lead the way in solving the challenges of tomorrow,”  said Peter Igarashi, MD, the Knapp Dean of the RSOM, who pointed out that the Department has had consistently strong funding success, including 17 grants totaling more than $8 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 2024.

During the ceremony the department also received a Certificate of Recognition, a Proclamation by New York State Assemblyman Hon. Ed Flood. 

For more about the ASM Milestones Program and list of other awarded institutions nationally see this link.

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology is one of 25 departments within the RSOM. It is dedicated to advancing the knowledge of the fundamental causes, means of prevention and treatment of human diseases, and to educating the next generation of scientific investigators in infectious diseases and related fields. For more see this link.

 

By Daniel Dunaief

The American Society for Microbiology named Stony Brook University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology a “Milestone” program on Oct. 17th, recognizing the department’s historical research contributions in fields ranging from Lyme disease to polio virus, and infection and vaccines.

Stony Brook is the 20th program to receive this distinction from the ASM, joining Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as the second such distinguished program on Long Island, and the fourth in the state.

It’s a “shared distinction among all the friends and colleagues from the department over the years” since its inception in 1972, said Carol Carter, Distinguished Professor in the department, and recent inductee into the National Academy of Sciences.

“It’s a family-community [honor],” she continued.

The Milestone recognition from the ASM raises the profile of the department and the university, as it recognizes its historical contribution to the field, and encourages and inspires the growing staff in a department in which basic research can lead to breakthrough discoveries.

“This is not an award or discovery for the last year or year before,” said Kevin Gardner, Vice President for Research and member of the Office of the President. “This is for historical levels of achievement over a really long period of time.”

Gardner planned to join department members, politicians including Assemblymember Edward Flood (R-Port Jefferson) and executives at ASM, as part of the recognition ceremony. The ASM, which was founded in 1899, and has over 32,000 members, is a “high-quality professional society and is about as good as they get,” Gardner added.

“It’s a tremendous honor.”

Theresa Koehler, president of ASM, will give a speech on the historic microbial science accomplishments at Stony Brook and designate the site officially a Milestone program.

Professor Emeritus, Nassau Community College/ University Medical Center and ASM Member, Lorraine Findlay, will also attend.

The ASM has been recognizing Milestones in Microbiology sites since 2002, when the first such honoree, Selman Waksam’s Laboratory at Rutgers University, received the honor.

“The program celebrates groundbreaking achievements that have shaped our understanding of microbiology and inspire future generations,” ASM Archivist Colleen Puterbaugh explained in an email.

The Stony Brook Department of Microbiology and Immunology has made the kind of fundamental discoveries regarding how cells work and how DNA and RNA and the different genetic building blocks come together that have led to treatments for diseases like polio, Gardner added.

“These types of recognition really help put the word out about what we’ve done and continue to do,” said David Thanassi, Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “It helps build morale” and aids in recruiting additional faculty.

Last year, the department added four faculty members and is in the process of searching for another person to join.

In the wake of the COVID Pandemic, universities and research facilities have emphasized the importance of microbiology, immunology and virology, which are fields that could help provide the kind of basic science that leads to early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

“Other places want virologists, too, because there’s a greater awareness of the need for these types of researchers,” said Thanassi.

Compelling research

In the application Carter helped prepare to submit to the ASM, she focused on three specific basic research achievements that have had an important impact on human health.

Joseph Kates, Founding Chair of the department, discovered that viruses could package enzymes required to copy themselves. His research made it possible to target viral polymerases as a type of therapy.

“Up to that point, it really wasn’t known about the basics of how viruses replicate themselves,” said Carter. “Finding this enzyme that viruses have to carry in their coat meant humans could devise a strategy for countering their ability to replicate.”

When she was considering joining the young state university, Carter interviewed with Kates in 1975. Kates “was so impressive and so much fun,” said Carter, “it was difficult to envision why you wouldn’t come and work in his department.”

Additionally, the ASM considered the research of Jorge Benach, Willy Burgdorfer and scientists from the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, who identified the cause of Lyme disease, which is a particular problem on Long Island.

This work made it possible to create antibiotic therapies.

Benach was able to “isolate the spirochetes from patients and demonstrate that they were the causative agent of Lyme,” said Carter.

Benach also characterized the form of the infection that occurs in dogs. Meanwhile, Eckard Wimmer was the first to describe the chemical synthesis of a polio virus without using a natural template. He was also the co-discoverer, with Vincent Racaniello, of the human receptor for poliovirus.

Wimmer’s work started efforts to synthesize organisms in the absence of a natural template, making it possible to develop new strategies in virus vaccine development.

Two plaques

As a part of the ceremony, the ASM will award Stony Brook two plaques. One of them will be visible in the department itself, while the other will go up in the Renaissance School of Medicine’s lobby, near the dean’s office and the library.

Carter suggested that the department continues to conduct research that is globally important.

“These days, the [discoveries] are not low-hanging fruit,” Carter said.

“The answers don’t come easily. You do feel gratified, whether you or somebody else in your unit, provides some sort of understanding that we didn’t appreciate before,” she continued.

In addition to the principal investigators who conducted research that proved important for human health, Carter added that the students who gained experience and insights at the university have gone on to develop productive careers.

“We have had fabulous students.”

From left, Frank Franzese, Dr. Don Heberer and David Rebori are Comsewogue’s tech team responsible for transitioning the school into online/hybrid learning. Photo from Heberer

Sometimes it takes a village – sometimes it takes a whole district.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, workers in North Shore school districts had to buckle down and create a new game plan from early on. March saw the closure of schools and the introduction of distance learning. September brought a return to in-person, but a host of new issues.

With constantly changing guidelines, they had to reconstruct their plans. Superintendents had to lead their districts to continue learning and to keep their students safe, while teachers, librarians, custodians, librarians and so many more worked and sacrificed to do the best they could, often exceeding what was expected. 

Gerard Poole, superintendent of Shoreham-Wading River school district, said it was a collaborative effort. 

Superintendent Gerard Poole. Photo from SWR school district

“So much had to happen for all of this had to be in place for the start of the school year,” he said. “Administrators who didn’t take any time off this summer, to teachers who had to move around classrooms. There were a lot of things that had to be done.”

One of those things that were applauded by community members was the reopening of the vacant Briarcliff Elementary School in Shoreham, which helped increase social distancing and lower the class sizes.  Poole said that in June, after they learned the 6-foot requirement between students and their desks was going to be in place, by opening up the formerly closed school they could have every student in five days a week.

But the superintendent stressed they couldn’t have done it alone. The school board was instrumental in making this happen, maintenance workers helped move supplies and nurses were there early on ready to work. 

“It was an easy academic decision to make, but equally as important socially and emotionally,” he said. “This year seems now like a major win.” 

And while SWR had to implement a plan to reopen a closed school, Cheryl Pedisich, superintendent of Three Village school district, said early in the spring the district formed a committee that would look at the narrative, and implement a school opening plan with the ultimate goal to go back to school, as normal, five days a week.  

“The issue of health and safety was most important,” she said. 

Pedisich said they initially developed a hybrid model, but the more she and her colleagues discussed it, they became concerned of the lack of continuity, also the mental, emotional and social impacts being on a screen would have on students. 

Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich. Photo from Three Village Central School District

“We wanted to bring our students back to school,” she said. “What we experienced during the spring were a lot of students’ mental health [issues]. The children felt very isolated — it was hard to connect. There was a lot of frustration in terms in the remote learning.”

By creating an education plan early on that opened the school up to five days a week head on, the district was able to hire more staff, and prepare for socially distanced learning. 

“Even though they’re wearing masks, they’re happy to be there,” Pedisich said. “We’ve had cases like anyone else, but no more cases than districts that went hybrid.”

And schools that run independently also had to figure out how to cope with these unprecedented times, including Sunshine Prevention Center in Port Jefferson Station, a nonprofit that offers an alternative education program. The CEO, Carol Carter, said they had to work with staff to handle the change. 

“We provided support to the staff and a strong leadership to the staff, so the teachers felt comfortable,” she said. “Then we did training on it. They had to learn along with us as we’re learning — they’re learning how to run classes online, how to put homework online and how to communicate with the students.”

While their school has a very small staff, they continued to help kids who were struggling at home. 

 “We would try and reach out to students and their families almost daily,” Holly Colomba, an English and science teacher at Sunshine said. “We were trying to check in, whether it’s with their mental health or educationally, just trying to keep in contact with them and let them know we’re still here — and that we were there to help them.”

And technology was huge in every district as the COVID pandemic was navigated. Joe Coniglione, assistant superintendent at Comsewogue School District, said the district wouldn’t be running smoothly without the help and initiative from the technology department.

 “These guys made it possible with going remote and doing hybrid instruction,” he said. “They orchestrated training every teacher in the district and worked around the clock to make sure kids were learning. They went way above and beyond to help us operate in time.”

From left, Frank Franzese, Dr. Don Heberer and David Rebori are Comsewogue’s tech team responsible for transitioning the school into online/hybrid learning. Photo from Heberer

Don Heberer, Comsewogue district administrator for instructional technology, said he remembered the day well. It was March 13 and he was at John F. Kennedy Middle School, scrambling and making sure every student had a device to use at home. They delivered about 300 Chromebooks to families who didn’t have devices. 

“I relied on my staff,” he said.  “And our number one focus was how can we make learning possible.”

Heberer and his colleagues — Jan Condon, David Rebori and Frank Franzese — made sure that communication was getting out to members of the community, students and their families. Teachers were constantly being trained and students were able to access their work online.

“We were in the middle of a crisis,” he said. “We have to remember people are losing their jobs, their lives, their entire livelihood. It’s important to be empathetic to that and doing everything we can to make it a little easier — students, teachers, parents and the community.”

He said they kept people in the loop using the districts app, which has roughly 7,000 people logged in. 

School librarians, too, had to change shape to keep kids reading. 

Monica DiGiovanni, a librarian at Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point, said she and her colleagues focused this year on teaching students Sora, a reading app by OverDrive. 

She said that Sora is an electronic version of their library, so kids would still be able to access books and read them on their Chromebooks. 

Along with DiGiovanni, Rocky Point librarians Jessica Sciarrone, Catherine O’Connell and Bettina Tripp have been responsible teaching students how to use the system since the school library cannot be used due to the pandemic. 

Monica DiGiovanni, the school librarian in the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School, was instrumental in getting kids e-books during COVID.
Photo from DiGiovanni

“As librarians, we were like, ‘Oh gosh we can’t give them books?’ That was a huge issue,” DiGiovanni said. 

After researching platforms to get them e-books, all four librarians decided to devote most of their library budget to the electronic reads.

“There’s so much that books provide that children get out of it,” DiGiovanni said. “They enjoy going to other places — fantasy worlds — so they can get that now with e-books.”

She said they’re definitely utilizing the service. 

“Some kids prefer them,” she added. “They like to be able to finish a book and go onto something new right away.”

At Port Jefferson high school, the Varsity Club is traditionally a group that inspires a sense of community involvement in student-athletes. Teachers and advisers to the club — Jesse Rosen and Deirdre Filippi — said that what their students usually do to get involved with the community was altered or canceled because of the pandemic. 

“As a result, some new events were created by our students and we found alternate ways of giving back to the community,” Filippi said. “We were especially impressed by the fact that our students saw this phase of their life as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle.”

Along with reading programs paired with the elementary school, Edna Louise Spear,  and hanging of flags on 9/11 and Veterans Day, the club hosted a Halloween trick-or-treat drive-thru event at the elementary school. 

“Oftentimes, when we feel somewhat helpless about our own situations, the best thing we can do is help those around us,” Filippi said. “This event was a perfect representation of our club´s mentality.”

A good part of the community came to the school to experience a unique and safe trick-or-treating experience. 

Students from the Port Jefferson Varsity Club during their drive-thru trick or treat event. Photo from PJ School District

“The idea was simple, the communal impact was overwhelming,” she said. “This speaks to what we try to achieve as educators. Our students recognized an opportunity within our community and they developed and executed a plan perfectly.”

The impact the club and its students made was overwhelming for Rosen and Filippi. 

“As educators, the actions of our students often inspire us,” Filippi said. “It is rewarding to see our students take the initiative and do whatever they can to put a smile on the face of their fellow students and community members.”

Sunshine Prevention Center in Port Jefferson Station created a "Blessing Box" for people to take necessary items when they need it and drop it off as a donation. Photo from SPC Facebook

It’s been a stressful time. 

In the age of COVID-19, more and more organizations are attempting to adapt to the influx of people needing mental health. 

Last month, Steve Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, said in a press conference in September regarding potential Suffolk healthcare cuts that substance abuse has skyrocketed because of the coronavirus crisis. “We have propelled to where we were six months ago,” he said at the time. 

And that’s why the Sunshine Prevention Center in Port Jefferson Station is here to help. Carol Carter, CEO/co-founder of the community youth and family agency that offers support and education in the areas of drug/alcohol prevention, socials skills, leadership and alternative education, said in the age of COVID, they had to adapt to help more people. 

“When COVID-19 first hit, we really scrambled,” she said. “We worked really hard to build a reputation in the community for still providing services.”

The center quickly learned how to Zoom and create Facebook Live and YouTube videos for kids and families to watch at home. 

“We had close to a thousand people watching them,” she said. 

According to Carter, the group learned that the rate of anxiety and depression was getting higher at the start of the pandemic, and domestic violence increased to at least by 20%. She and her organization knew how important it was to help people during such a trying time. 

“We would drop off [worksheets/exercises] to homes,” she said. “We tried not get so caught up in the fear, but we wanted to be there to help them.”

As the pandemic evolved, so did their online learning. Carter began writing daily, weekly and then monthly newsletters. “They would have resources and positive messages for the day,” she said. “We’d mention other programs that were running. … We tried to stay connected that way.”

The center began to Zoom meetings for kids, young adults and parents at night, but more recently in September, they began socially distanced in-person adult groups again. 

“We started in-person because of the demand,” she said. “They need more of the social interaction. … We’ve been told ‘thank you.’ We tried to get back to some type of normalcy. Although people are still afraid, they’re grateful.”

But along with the substance abuse problem as described by Chassman, everyone is feeling more anxious than before.

Further east at the North Shore Youth Council in Rocky Point, Dana Ellis, director of mental health and wellness programming, said she has seen a dramatic increase in anxiety among young adults. 

“Anxiety is the biggest thing I’m seeing more so compared to last year,” she said. “The amount of kids and interests approaching doubled. … A lot more people are looking for help and support during this time.”

Before COVID-19, her group would work with Rocky Point school district to help students with their mentoring program. This year, however, they were unable to meet because clubs were canceled. 

“My biggest thing is giving kids opportunities to socialize, meet people, talk with each other and recognize things will be OK,” she said. “Our goal is to increase mental health programing in general.”

The youth council also decided recently to restart in-person group meetings, because they know how important it is for young adults to talk about how they’re feeling. Upon arrival, they give temperature checks, must wear masks and have the option to Zoom in, if they choose. 

“I’ve definitely started off my groups with coping skills,” Ellis said. “I started treating them like stressless groups because more than ever kids are stressed, and I’m trying to make that the forefront of the groups that I run.”

In those groups, people talk about the worries they face in day-to-day life. ““I  think that’s from a variety of things,” she said. “In general, it’s a very stressful time we’re living in.”

While COVID-19 has become the dominant catastrophe of the moment, other longstanding crises have taken a backseat in the public eye.

Graphic by TBR News Media

The opioid crisis, an epidemic that has taken many more lives over a much longer stretch of time, is seeing a new rash of overdoses since the start of the pandemic.

Data provided by Suffolk County Police shows overdoses have generally increased from the same months last year to this year. In March, police counted a total of 14 fatal overdoses compared to 27 in 2019. There were 108 nonfatal overdoses compared to 93 last year. In April, the numbers jumped wildly from 15 fatal overdoses in 2019 to 30 in 2020. Nonfatal leaped from 67 to 113.

District Attorney Tim Sini’s (D) projections of overdose numbers tell an even more morose tale. With data that includes ODs that weren’t confirmed yet by toxicology reports, seeing a total increase of 19 percent of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses compared to the previous year. Though those numbers include all overdoses, not just related to opioids.

While it may be too soon to determine a specific link between the pandemic and the increase of overdoses, drug counselors and rehabs say they have seen the marked connection between isolation, mental illness and drug dependence. As time goes on and the country faces economic turmoil, some worry the situation may not improve for the rest of the year.

Addiction Relief Shifts to Remote Help

Dr. Carol Carter, the director of the Sunshine Prevention Center in Port Jefferson Station, works especially with youth and parents dealing with mental health and drug-related issues. She said her center quickly had to scramble after the state first started closing down. Since then the center has been hosting most programs over Zoom or in Facebook Live sessions. They have especially tried to focus on appreciating diversity, the issues of isolation and other anxieties. They have done children’s book reading and puppet shows over the internet as well, looking for ways to maintain positivity. They have also connected with families by dropping off care packages and calling families each week.

Sunshine Prevention Center in Port Jefferson Station created a “Blessing Box” for people to take necessary items when they need it and drop it off as a donation. Photo from SPC Facebook

But while such meetings may be a substitute for counseling sessions, Carter said the main difficulty is preventing people from getting on drugs, especially as so many remain cooped up indoors,  many in unstable situations.

“We’ve seen an increase of response hotline, in depression and suicidal ideations,” Carter said. “We’re still collecting data, but we’ve heard of an increase in domestic abuse, an increase in substance use, alcohol abuse, as their way of coping with isolation.”

Director of Drug and Alcohol Counseling Services at the Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center, Matthew Neebe, said it’s hard to gauge if there has been an increase in drug use since the pandemic as the center is not facilitating toxicology screenings. Yet, he added there is “anecdotal” evidence for the pandemic causing and increase in relapses and drug use.

“Two of the biggest risk factors for substance use are social isolation and stress,” he said. “Both are consequences of the stay-at-home orders.”

While the center itself is considered essential, they have continued to operate at a reduced level. However, with most staff working from home, all therapy sessions are done via telehealth. They have been conducting some group sessions virtually, though they have reduced the number of sessions from their regular schedule.

Anthony Rizzuto is the director of provider relations for Seafield, a drug rehab with inpatient facilities in Westhampton and outpatient facilities in Amityville, Medford, Mineola, Patchogue and Riverhead. He said they too have been hearing of the increase in overdoses and the increased use of alcohol and other drugs as more are quarantined at home.

“We know people will turn to drugs or alcohol, and God knows right now we have plenty of stressors — we have people who have lost loved ones, people who have lost their jobs, people who are in financial ruin, some are losing their businesses,” Rizzuto said. “We see an increase right now, and quite honestly I expect a huge increase as this continues going on and after this is over, if this ever happens.”

While there are obvious downsides to telehealth, the push is one that was in the docket for a while, and with the current pandemic, has finally pushed many institutions into taking it seriously, said Dr. Christian Racine, the senior director for clinics for the Family Service League Long Island. The nonprofit social services agency also runs the Diagnostic, Assessment and Stabilization Hub in partnership with Suffolk County.

The benefits, Racine said, include allowing people who may have had mobility issues or other mitigating problems the chance to get into the system. People who call the hotline for the clinic or DASH center are now immediately put into the system, where they can connect with people to understand what the person is going through and what services they should get connected to. It also allows for flexibility in time and location, no longer requiring a person to drive what can be a long distance to start the treatment process. 

FSL’s Mobile Crisis Teams continue to operate, often going to a person’s home to talk through the door or even speak to a person through video chat or phone right on the person’s driveway.

“We didn’t see a drop in services, [but] an increase in services because of flexibility of being able to use telehealth,” Racine said. “People are being frank about increased cravings or relapses.”

Sarah Anker, the legislative chair of the opioid panel, said they too are concerned of increase in opioid overdoses. File photo by Erika Kara

Though there still are several downsides to telehealth. Perhaps the most egregious is for those living in unstable home conditions, where the person on one of the calls may not want others to listen in.

“Even if you get along with the rest of the family, you’re worried about what you’re sharing or you’re hesitant to share certain details,” he said. “Some don’t have the best relationship with their families. It’s absolutely a concern, and we’re very conscious of that.”

While Rizutto acknowledged some of the benefits of telehealth, he said he preferred the in-person meetings where he said “a lot is being said nonverbal.” 

Otherwise, with so many resources shut down, from in-person AA meetings to churches to gyms, “Zoom really played a part to give people something,” Rizutto said. “People are in those meetings who had never been to therapy, before people from all over. It is definitely meeting a need.”

Government and Police Response

Suffolk County Police Chief Stuart Cameron said cops have noticed increased incidents of drug overdoses, though despite the emphasis on social distancing police are still able to administer Narcan, a life-saving drug that halts an opioid overdose. 

But with treatment and prevention as the more important component of substance abuse, the pandemic presents its own unique challenges.

“It’s not just opioids — people are self medicating, people are isolated,” said Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai). Anker is the legislative chair of the Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel.

The trend is troubling, especially compared to Suffolk County’s previous models showing total overdoses are on the decline. In January, Suffolk released a report showing 2019’s projections of opioid-related deaths was 283, compared to 2018’s 380. Those decreased numbers of deaths were attributed, in part, to the greater use and availability of Narcan.

Anker said the numbers have caused real concerns among other members of the opioid advisory panel. In a meeting Friday, May 8, panel members discussed tapping into county forfeiture funding to create public service announcements on mental health and the different places to receive drug treatment. The panel also would look to advocate that the federal government should allow people to use Medicaid funds for teleconferencing, which it currently does not cover.

Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini says the issues with overdoses and drugs won’t improve with the ongoing pandemic. Photo by Alex Petroski

Sini said Suffolk County has not seen a decrease in drug-related activity despite the pandemic. This is mostly due to the nature of how drugs enter into Suffolk — smuggled into New York City then is sold wholesale to dealers on the ground, who usually drop it off to peoples’ houses or are picked up at select homes.

“We’re not seeing any drop except for powdered cocaine, but we’re not seeing that same situation with heroin or fentanyl,” the DA said.

Sini said while other crimes like break-ins have declined, the office has allocated more resources to the narcotics bureau, now standing at 13 narcotics prosecutors, which works closely with police to track dealers and prosecute them.

The DA’s office is also planning to roll out a new program that would work with a yet-to-be-named nonprofit and shuttle people in addiction to treatment providers. Sini said there will be more information on that program in the coming weeks.

The initial rise in COVID-19 cases forced the rehab facilities to cut back in bed capacity, especially as hospital-based detoxes turned into beds for COVID patients. Since then, as the number of hospitalizations declined, Rizzuto said now bed supply is better, but of more concern is funding for these facilities.

“Either a state-funded facility, nonprofits or private entities, I think the budget is going to be ravaged and with the lack of being able to collect, they will be looking to cut,” Rizzuto said. “I think they are going to have to cut in many different areas to meet the needs financially. Historically behavioral health is one of the things that gets slashed.” 

Anker said members of the advisory panel have expressed their concerns for many different programs’ funding, especially as New York State reports huge drops in income. Many nonprofit rehabs and centers rely on such funding.

“Drug addiction is not decreasing, it’s increasing and they may be taking away those resources,” Anker said. “We may not hear it now, but we will see repercussions come out as we deal with pandemic.”

Maintaining the breadth of services, from inpatient care to outpatient care to paying for nursing and other medical staff, the rehabs and prevention centers requires a heavy dose of government funding. Racine said restructuring Medicaid could provide a necessary boost of aid.

“The idea of state funding being reduced is really a concern — a lot of services are expensive,” Racine said.

Despite the efforts of both government, for profit and nonprofit organizations, officials said they don’t expect numbers to return to the way they seemed to be heading only a year ago.

“I think it would be very hard to end 2020 on a decline,” Sini said. “We will see an increase in 2020, but we will all be working to bring those numbers down in 2021.”