CARMEL, NY – Putnam County has taken another step in its ongoing efforts to address the opioid crisis with the establishment of a Suicide and Overdose Fatality Review (SOFR) Team.
The newly formed, multidisciplinary group is designed to conduct in-depth reviews of select local deaths to better understand and prevent future tragedies.
Earlier this month, the SOFR Team held a preparatory drill using a fictional case to simulate the overdose fatality review process. The exercise allowed team members to assess their readiness and engage in the type of careful, collaborative analysis required to address the many complex factors that can contribute to preventable deaths.
Team leadership includes Director of Mental Health Paul Tang, Dual Recovery Coordinator Lauren Johnson, and Director of the Child Advocacy Center Marla Behler, all the Putnam County Department of Mental Health; Shanna Siegel of the Putnam County Department of Health; and Megan Castellano of Guardian Homefront.
“While fewer lives are being lost to overdose, that may not necessarily mean fewer people are at risk,” said Siegel, RN, education supervisor at the Department of Health and co-coordinator of the SOFR Team. The rate of opioid overdose deaths in Putnam varies year to year. We are also monitoring non-fatal overdoses, which increase a person’s likelihood of experiencing a fatal overdose. This known risk was a catalyst for our creation of the SOFR team.”
Lauren Johnson, dual recovery coordinator for Putnam County, emphasized the importance of using real-life experiences to inform systemic change. “When an individual is referred to me after a non-fatal overdose or other substance-involved crisis, I work with them and their families to help connect them to appropriate support and identify treatment barriers,” she explained. “Establishing a fatality review team gives us an opportunity to analyze some of these struggles I see daily and make applicable recommendations for systems-level change.”
Marla Behler, director of the Child Advocacy Center, drew on her experience with the County’s Child Fatality Review Team.
“Preventable deaths, including overdose and suicide, devastate families,” Behler said. “Examining in closer detail the facets of a person’s life and their interactions with our system of care is one small way we can honor the memories of those lost while working to prevent these tragedies in the future.”
The SOFR initiative is supported by the Putnam County BRIDGE Alliance in collaboration with state and federal partners, including the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS)—a national partnership between public health and public safety agencies that aims to reduce overdoses through data-sharing and innovative prevention strategies.
Article provided by the County Executive’s Office
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