Parents who lost children and representatives from the alcohol and drug dependence treatment community gathered Tuesday morning to sound the alarm about the deadly crisis claiming so many lives.
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"I just recently lost my son April 4th of this year," Joanne Pacheco said. "He was 28-years-old."
The emotion is still raw for Joanne who lost her son Spencer exactly five weeks ago.
"My son was a beautiful soul," Joanne said. "He made everybody laugh and unfortunately, yes he was sick with a disease and I fought it with him and I was dying with him."
More than 1,500 die per week from opioid overdose in the United States according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
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"Illicit fentanyl claims one life every eight and a half minutes," Sufolk County Legislator Kara Hahn said. "That is why during this event we will ring a bell and drop a pebble every 8 and a half minutes."
The Health Center said New York's opioid death rate exceeded the national death rate in 2020 and 2021.
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