“Albany County has been at the forefront of this battle against the opioid epidemic and with pharmaceutical companies and distributors to hold them accountable for their actions and their inaction. I am proud to have nominated Dr. Stephen Giordano, Albany County’s Mental Health Commissioner, to be on this important board and I believe he is the right person to lead the board as they develop sound recommendations. Today, he was unanimously elected to lead this group. Dr. Giordano is a national expert developing quality behavioral health systems of care addressing the intersecting needs of individuals living with mental health conditions, addictions, and intellectual/developmental disabilities. Now that the opioid settlement funds have begun to flow to the state and counties, counties are working to help stem the tide of this crisis.”


Additional information: 

The Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board was established under the Office of Addiction Services and Supports to provide recommendations on how funding received by the Opioid Settlement Fund could be allocated. Some of those funds will be allocated to support county efforts to battle opioid abuse, addiction, and overdoses at the local level.