BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — State and local leaders are coming together to give a stern warning and reminder about the dangers of fentanyl. It's what they say is a looming public health threat.
"We are seeing a lot of fentanyl spiked in cocaine and methamphetamine in our community. There's nothing that is safe," Erie County Health Commissioner, Dr. Gale Burstein said.
Burstein gave a warning at a press conference on Tuesday morning at BestSelf Behavioral Health which comes at a time of concern over rainbow fentanyl.
Most recently, rainbow fentanyl was detected not too far from WNY in Monroe County. In the WNY area, according to Burstein, blue, yellow and green colored pills have been found within the past year.
"These are here in our community and people need to be aware and look out for them," she stressed.
SEE ALSO: Deadly mix; cocaine laced with fentanyl
According to the Erie County Health Department, there have been 539 confirmed or suspected opioid-related deaths since January 2021. Now, there is a warning that Kelly Dumas, chief operating officer at BestSelf, is giving to parents as well.
"Halloween is upon, so pay attention to the candy that your children are bringing home. If it doesn't look normal or there's something strange about it, throw it out," she said, "Funding is vital to help stop the trafficking of the drug that has taken so many lives."
At the press conference, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is pledging to invest billions in prevention, treatment and recovery efforts to stop drug traffickers and save lives.
"I'm pushing $3.2 billion to fight this fentanyl scourge," Schumer said.
By adding billions to the National Drug Control Strategy, Schumer said it would boost overall funding which would benefit individual counties like Erie.
An example of the funding stream, according to Schumer, would include:
- $553 million allocated for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Expansion Grant program, which would aid organizations like BestSelf
- $106 million for the Drug-Free Communities Support program including places like the West Side Youth Development Center
- $2 billion for the State Opioid Response Grants program which could fund several programs in WNY like Erie County's opioid response initiative
"So, this is a critical step," he added.
Schumer said a vote on whether this funding will be added to the upcoming budget should come within the next few months.
