Editorial - A Line In The Sand For Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick

NYS Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick**Has a line been drawn in the sand for Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick 8th AD?  Some people seem to think so. Assemblyman Fitzpatrick is affable, approachable and one of Smithtown’s longest serving elected officials. Michael Fitzpatrick served on the Town Council for fifteen years (1988 - 2002) before becoming NYS Assemblyman in 2002 where he continues to serve.  He is up for reelection in November 2014.  Fitzpatrick’s father served six years as Supervisor of the Town of Smithtown (1970 -76) - the town’s Paul J. Fitzpatrick public golf course is named after him. Mike Fitzpatrick knows politics well.

Assemblyman Fitzpatrick has built his public reputation on being a fiscal conservative and a supporter of business. 

Long Island is undeniably dealing with a youth opiate heroin epidemic. Abuse of prescription drugs in NYS is declining due to I-Stop legislation which has made prescription drugs less available. Addicts losing access to prescription drugs have turned to illegal street drugs. Cheap and highly addictive heroin has become the substitute for prescription drugs. Inseparable from the addiction problem is the increase in crime that results when addicts need money to feed their addiction.  

According to police statistics over two thousand people have died in the past decade due to drug overdoses. In Suffolk County Police have been effective (700 lives have been saved) with the use of Narcan which counteracts the effects of an overdose. The Suffolk County Narcan trial program has now become the model for police programs across the state. 

It is imperative that we use all the tools available to fight the battle against drug abuse. One of those tools is residential treatment for addicts. Currently insurance companies hold the key to gaining access to residential treatment. Not all addicts will enter into residential rehab programs, some are served as outpatients in programs, or by specialists. It is imperative that the determination of best treatment for the patient be made by a person qualified with a background in substance abuse and or medicine who has evaluated the patient and will make a decision in the best interest of the patient. Treatment decisions must not be made based on bottom line.

Before the NYS Legislature is a piece of legislation that is opposed by insurance companies and supported by many with first hand knowledge of addiction. The legislation, S4623A in the Senate and A7003A in the Assembly, will take the treatment options out of the purview of the for profit insurance industry and put it in the hands of medical professionals. 

S4623A/ A7003A - “To ensure that patients suffering from drug and alcohol dependency receive appropriate care, by directing insurers to provide authorization and payment to appropriately licensed healthcare providers for detoxification, rehabilitation and intensive residential rehabilitation based on the examining physician’s recommendation.”

According to Maureen Rossi of Kings Park In The kNOw, every NYS elected official from Long Island irrespective of political affiliation has signed-on to the legislation except for one, Smithtown Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick. To those who lobbied in Albany last week this is a slap in the face. To parents of deceased children who died from overdoses it is unthinkable that despite empirical data indicating the need and benefits of doctors as the deciders, Assemblyman Fitzpatrick has not signed on to the legislation. To outsiders looking in it seems these families  despite their incredible grief are fighting the battle that is Fitzpatrick’s responsibility to fight.

Assemblyman Fitzpatrick needs to support A7003 and he needs to become an advocate for the legislation. Children are dying and some of the children are from our town. The legislation puts children before insurance profits and allows medical professionals to make health care decisions. Assemblyman Fitzpatrick sign on to A7003.

Yes, the line in the sand has been drawn. 

Pat

**ASSEMBLYMAN FITZPATRICK IS SUPPORTING THE LEGISLATION. 100 percent support from LI. !!! 

Comments

[Michael]

Strange article from a highly respected source.
Reading the editorial and then learning that the premise is baseless, is perplexing.
I

[Editor]

Editorial was written and posted previous to Assemblyman Fitzpatrick's agreeing to support the legislation. It was verified Thursday evening that he had not signed on to the bill.