Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
Standing at Crouse Hospital’s Marley Education Center in Syracuse, NY, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today laid out an action plan to use federal funds from the just-passed federal appropriations bill in an effort to reduce the number of Onondaga County babies born dependent on prescription drugs. Schumer called on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)—which is a part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—to use its increase in federal dollars from the just-passed Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations bill to address the alarming trend of drug-dependent babies in Onondaga County and across Central New York, amongst other places. A baby born dependent on to prescription drugs, like painkillers and opioids, has a condition known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). According to a recent study conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), cases of NAS have tripled. With Schumer’s support, the appropriations bill recently allocated $47 million towards the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA). Now that this federal funding has been allocated, Schumer laid out an action plan and called on SAMHSA to dedicate a portion of the funding to help treat, prevent and promote public awareness of NAS.