Majority Leader Lorigo announces County awards contracts to battle opioid/heroin epidemic

Erie County Legislature Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo announces that a total of three contracts have now been awarded to private agencies who will partner with the county to combat the growing opioid/heroin epidemic. Earlier this summer, Majority Leader Lorigo proposed a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to include professional organizations in the county’s investment into this issue. He said he is hopeful that this approach will make an impact as previous efforts have not had the results he expected.

 

“At today’s session, the Legislature approved funding aimed at fighting the drug addictions that many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones are battling. As the death rate remains far too high, we have to be direct in our approach to combat this issue. We have learned that simply throwing money at the problem solves nothing, which is why I proposed putting out a Request for Proposals to hear from private sector experts. This is an investment into an issue plaguing our community where I expect to see results. The Legislature will continue to work with county departments and those agencies who were awarded contracts in order to monitor the impact of our efforts. Like every government spending initiative, we must be sure that the resources allocated to address this issue are being used wisely,” said Majority Leader Lorigo.

 

For additional information, please call Legislator Lorigo at 858-8922 or e-mail, joseph.lorigo@erie.gov.