BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. -- A candidate running for Broome County Executive is taking action to address what he calls the region's worst public health crisis.
Jason Garnar held a press conference Wednesday to lay out how he plans to combat the heroin epidemic.
He criticized current County Executive Debbie Preston, saying she has not taken steps to tackle the issue during her four years in office.
If elected, Garnar says he would implement his plan on his first day in office, which focuses on developing long-term treatment options for addicts.
"What we need is when somebody using heroin wants to stop using heroin, we need to have enough detox beds available so that they don't have to continually call on the phone and wait and be put on a waiting list to get in," Garner said. "They should be able to come in, right then."
County Executive Preston's office released a statement countering Garnar's claims saying Preston co-hosted nine education events, secured additional beds at Fairview Recovery and used a police presence at the bus station to slow the inflow of drugs.
It's still unknown whether County Executive Preston plans to run for reelection.