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State Sen. Natalia Fernandez says budget left substance-use services underfunded, urges workforce supports
Summary
On Bronx Talk, State Sen. Natalia Fernandez (34th District) praised some budget wins but said her substance use disorder committee received little new funding; she urged targeted investments in workforce retention, harm reduction and early prevention programs to sustain recovery gains.
State Sen. Natalia Fernandez, who chairs the state Senate's alcoholism and substance use disorders committee, told Bronx Talk that while the 2026 state budget included some policy steps, it fell short on investments her committee sought to address behavioral-health workforce shortages and services for people with substance-use disorders.
"For the committee that I chair, substance use disorder, was not so happy because there really wasn't any more investment in that area," Fernandez said, noting the state relied in part on opioid-settlement dollars that vary from year to year. She told the host that she had proposed workforce-retention measures for behavioral-health staff, sought higher cost-of-living adjustments for health-care workers and planned continued advocacy in Albany.
Fernandez credited recent investments and harm-reduction programs for an observed statewide decline in overdose deaths: "I think it's because of growing investment...a bigger number of opioid settlement dollars that did get dispersed," she said, but she warned disparities persist in Black and Brown communities and the Bronx may still face higher rates.
On prevention and early intervention, Fernandez emphasized outreach in schools and communities and said public-awareness efforts such as OASIS billboards help, but that curricula and local programming are essential to reach young people before substance use begins. "Having a conversation with...our youths about what exists, the harms of it, what it does to your body, is an important conversation to have," she said.
Fernandez described a statewide listening tour to institutions and organizations that informed the committee's priorities and underscored co-occurring mental-health disorders as an important driver of substance use: "Most of the time, 95% of the time, the thought to pick up a drug...is to address trauma, self healing, self soothing," she said.
Local public-safety examples reinforced the need for coordinated responses: Fernandez said she convened partners after a Pelham Bay Little League report of paraphernalia on fields and is working with shelters, campus sites and businesses to keep youth facilities safe while treating people experiencing homelessness or substance-use disorders with dignity.
Fernandez said she will continue pushing for targeted funding and programmatic fixes in Albany, including efforts tied explicitly to sustainable workforce pay and support for recovery and sober-community services.
The interview closed with Fernandez reiterating that continued investment and coordinated local services are necessary to sustain recovery gains and reduce disparities in overdose outcomes.
