Three years ago, Penny Stringfield lost her son to an overdose.

It’s a bittersweet anniversary this year, as the Broome County District Attorney says it’s the first month in five years without any recorded fatal drug overdoses.

"For the last three years, I hoped and prayed that we would have a month like this, so I was delighted to see that," she said.

The county executive says the community's efforts over the past 14 months helped reach this achievement.

"It's really everybody working together,” said Jason Garnar. “There's several new initiatives we put in place that we believe has really helped people get treatment."

It’s a great start, but local elected officials say they’re not done yet. They continue to push for more education and immediate access to treatment services, especially in jails. But there is reason to be hopeful.

"We are moving in the right direction. We are finally looking at this as a not a moral short coming, but a chronic disease that we all need to band together and help people get better," Stringfield said.