OBSERVER Staff Report

Starting today, the first Opioid Court south of Buffalo is now operational.

As part of the City Court in Dunkirk, the new Opioid Court provides specialized services to Chautauqua County area residents suffering from addiction to opioids, a class of drug that includes the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription. The Dunkirk Opioid Court’s primary mission is to save lives by offering immediate treatment and counseling to addicted individuals while the prosecution of any crimes charged against them are temporarily suspended.

The first Opioid Court was started by Judge Craig D. Hannah of the Buffalo City Court in 2016. His program was designed to assist addicts facing criminal charges by offering them immediate treatment. The success of Buffalo Opioid Court has drawn national attention and was expanded to Niagara County in 2018, and now to Chautauqua County.

According to the New York State Unified Court System Office of Policy and Planning, the Opioid Court model holds great promise for saving lives. By rapidly connecting participants to evidence-based treatment and employing intensive judicial supervision, opioid courts incorporate effective practices honed through decades of research in the treatment court and behavioral health fields.

Jeffrey Smith, Project Director for the Eighth Judicial District that covers Western New York, said that over 450 people have gone through Buffalo’s Opioid Court since it’s inception. In that time only four people in the program have died of drug overdoses. “If we can keep people from overdosing and keep them alive, we are doing our job,” said Smith, “and that is now the job in Dunkirk.”

The Dunkirk Opioid Court’s services are available to anyone suffering from opioid addiction – even those not charged with a crime. Courts and defendants in jurisdictions outside the City of Dunkirk will be given the opportunity to participate. Defendants in Courts outside Dunkirk with opioid dependency will have their prosecution in that jurisdiction suspended while they participate in Dunkirk Opioid Court.

Dunkirk Opioid Court is overseen by City Court Judge John M. Kuzdale and is managed by Drug Court Coordinator Leeann Lazarony and Opioid Court Coordinator Kristy Holland. The Court utilizes the region’s specially trained medical and counseling services to offer participants rapid access to Medically Assisted Treatment and the best customized care and assistance possible.

A grand opening is set for today.

Jeffrey Smith states that, “The opioid crisis in this State remains very real and is of paramount concern to the Court system. The Dunkirk Opioid Court is one mechanism we can use to help the hundreds of Chautauqua County residents and their families suffering from this crisis.”