State Senate Appoints Joyce Rivera to NYS Opioid Settlement Board
We are proud to announce that our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Joyce Rivera, has been appointed to join the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund! The New York State Senate announced the appointment of Joyce Rivera to serve on the state’s Opioid Settlement Board, which will assist in distributing up to $1.5 billion to communities across New York state to invest in opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
All funds collected by the state from opioid settlements or litigation victories will be allocated specifically towards rebuilding communities devastated by the opioid epidemic and will not go towards the state’s general fund. The law granted the Senate the authority to appoint four (4) individuals to serve on the twenty-one (21) member Opioid Settlement Board, which makes recommendations to the state Legislature on how programs across the state will receive funds.
“I am honored to represent the harm reduction movement at this historic moment in our history and am grateful to continue the work of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Governor Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Leticia James, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera, while also remembering the history of our brothers, sisters and families in seeking to redress the harms of the pharmaceutical opioid industry.” said Joyce Rivera, CEO and Founder of St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction “Fighting the opioid epidemic by helping drug users help themselves is a service framework that creates safety for personal and group advancement that is immediately effective. By accepting people as they are, we can build nuanced collaborations and education with the groups who view drug use as a moral failing; heal our communities and families by leading with empathy, practicing mercy, and providing safety.”
Ms. Rivera joins, Lawrence Brown, Joshua Lynch and Stephanie Marquesano as the Senate appointees for the 21-member advisory board, which was created under legislation signed last summer.