Erie County established its Opioid Epidemic Task Force in 2016 in response to rising concerns on the opioid crisis in Western new York. County health officials host a quarterly opioid task force meeting to bring stakeholders together.
Buffalo MATTERS had the opportunity to present at the Erie County Opioid Task Force meeting on the current state of the network and future expansion elements. Erie County has become the national model for response to the opioid epidemic. The Task Force is one of the key elements of the model. Representatives from MATTERS regularly attend these opioid task force meetings. Over the next year, the MATTERS concepts are planned to be adopted in several other regions across New York State.
Participating in regional Opioid Task Force meetings is important to stay up-to-date on trends and concerns in the state. Accordingly, MATTERS serves as a member of other opioid task forces across New York State. MATTERS strives to provide insight on treatment and referral models for opioid use disorder.
