Like many people, Angela Robertson's office is filled with photos of her family.
- Save the Michaels of the World in Buffalo received $450,000 from the state
- The facility helps people find treatment and serve families facing addiction
- Introduced law would require family members to be alerted if patient might have relapse
“I have four children. Two girls and two boys,” she said.
She works at Save the Michaels of the World in Buffalo, where she helps people dealing with addiction.
“They need support of their loved ones and their family and the community,” said Robertson.
And she knows from experience a painful connection to the problem of opioid abuse — one that hits too close to home.
“The desperation in my son's voice was almost horrifying as a mother,” said Robertson.
Her oldest son, Stephen Canastraro Jr. had been seeking treatment for heroin addiction, depression and anxiety. She found him dead of an overdose on August 24 last year. He was 31 years old.
“Between 2:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., I lost my boy. My blue-eyed boy,” she said.
Canastaro's death came two days after he had an appointment at his treatment facility, testing positive for the synthetic drug fentanyl. He was using again, but Robertson had no idea until she talked to the center's director after he died.
“And I said, 'why didn't you call?' And she said, ‘I don't know’ and she hugged me. And I just said to her, ‘we need to fix this,’” she said.
Robertson and Save the Michaels of the World Founder Avi Israel are pushing the proposed Stephen's Law — named for her son. If a patient gives permission, the law would require medical providers to alert family members or other health care proxies if the patient shows warning signs of having a relapse. Those signs could include failed drug screens or missed appointments.
“You can watch that person walk out the door, that patient walk out the door, and you may never see him again,” said Israel.
The bill passed in the state Senate this week, but now needs to have the Assembly on board.
“It will allow ultimately the families to come in and to be the front line of that defense against this addiction,” state Sen. Tim Kennedy, (D-Buffalo) said.
Robertson wishes she could've had the chance to get her son more help. She believes Stephen's Law will give others that opportunity.
“Save one life,” she said. “Save one life.”
Save the Michaels of the World received $450,000 from the state to keep helping people find treatment and serve families facing addiction.
They plan to use that money to add more staff and buy new vehicles to take people to treatment centers, counselling and drug courts.