MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas is partnering with The National Safety Council and other regional funders to bring the Council’s opioid memorial to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City from September to 23-28. Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and will be situated in the north court inside the mall. The exhibit puts a face on the worst drug crisis in recorded United States history, personalizing an issue that has been declared a public health emergency.
According to the press release, Nassau County is the eighth stop on the memorial’s nationwide tour, and the third stop in New York – the only state to host it multiple times. Unveiled in Chicago in November 2017, the memorial previously visited Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Fayetteville (Ark.), Houston, Buffalo, Albany and Washington, D.C., where it was displayed in President’s Park at the White House.
“The opioid epidemic has taken an incredible toll on Long Island families, and we are encouraged by a recent drop in overdoes,” DA Singas says. “As we work to turn the tide on the devastating scourge of opioid addiction, we are proud to partner with the National Safety Council and our generous sponsors to bring this moving and powerful campaign to Roosevelt Field Mall. I hope many of our neighbors will take time to visit, experience, and learn from this incredible memorial before it continues on its nationwide journey.”
The National Safety Council launched Prescribed to Death – a multifaceted exhibit aimed at changing Americans’ attitudes toward opioids – as a part of the Council’s Stop Everyday Killers public education campaign. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a wall of 22,000 engraved white pills – each representing the face of someone lost to a prescription opioid overdose in 2015 – the latest set of data available at the time of the exhibit’s launch. Since then, opioid overdose deaths have more than doubled.
The memorial is accompanied by resources that help visitors both safely dispose of unused pills in their homes and facilitate discussions with prescribers about alternatives. Visitors receive first-of-their-kind “Opioids: Warn Me” labels to affix to their insurance cards, empowering them to discuss with prescribers the risks of taking opioids and whether other pain relief options are available. The Council has partnered with Stericycle – a Chicago-based waste disposal company – to provide Seal&Send medication disposal envelopes to help visitors easily get rid of unused medications.
Individuals who have lost someone to opioid overdose have the opportunity to add their loved one’s name to a digital memorial on site. Those who are unable to visit the exhibit can share their loved one’s story and a photo by using the Council’s interactive online map, Celebrating Lost Loved Ones.
The exhibit is underwritten by contributions from RXR Realty, Northwell Health, Mets Foundation, Save the Michaels of the World, Eric and Marc Blumencranz, Stericycle and Schneider National. Visit stopeverydaykillers.org
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