A $75,000 federal pass-through grant administered by the state health department will help Suffolk County fund a new training program for first responders on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. READ
Health & Environment
On Tuesday, officials announced $2.57 million in federal and state grant money to improve the health and ecosystem of the Long Island Sound. The funding will go toward 36 projects to be completed by organizations in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. READ
Across Suffolk County, 396 opioid-related deaths occurred in 2017 — more than one per day for the year. This year, as of Oct. 1, there have been 171 confirmed opioid deaths countywide. READ
Greenport Village has hired an engineering firm to examine why the village sewage treatment plant discharged partially treated sewage into Long Island Sound on two occasions in November. READ
With the nation in the throes of an opioid epidemic, more emphasis is being placed on preventing youth from starting down the path to addiction. A handful of East End groups dedicated to this mission offer year-round programming for students in an effort to help them avoid making decisions that experts say have the potential to spiral out of control. READ
A recently rescinded New York State Department of Environmental Conservation decision will put local municipalities in charge of their own water quality management.
In Southold, the reversal will impact Total Maximum Daily Load limits that were imposed over a decade ago to monitor pollutants entering the water. READ
In the midst of another national E. coli outbreak, North Fork farms are recommending consumers buy vegetables from local businesses to evade the outbreak. READ
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services issued an advisory to take precautions before recreating in the Long Island Sound near Greenport following Thursday’s snow storm.
Officials urged residents to avoid the waters near the Greenport Wastewater Treatment facility effluent discharge located off of Inlet Pond County Park in Greenport. READ
Caregivers are often called the invisible patients. They carry a burden that can be isolating and stressful.
Advanced diseases and chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can affect a patient for years. READ
As legal marijuana gets closer to becoming a reality in New York, state officials are asking the public: How can we get it right?
In September, the Department of Health launched a statewide listening tour bringing community organizers, physicians and pro-cannabis activists together to share their input as the state’s Regulated Marijuana Workgroup begins crafting language for an adult-use recreational marijuana law.
“We are not here to build consensus, but rather gather input,” from a variety of viewpoints, said Sandra Houston, a Department of Health official who moderated a session held in Ronkonkoma Tuesday evening. READ
