Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Board of Supervisors will take up a proposal July 12, to change the terms of its contract with Twin County Recovery Services to allow for the creation of a new coordinator position. The purpose of the position is help people navigate the various addiction recovery services offered by Columbia and Greene counties. “The heads of both counties have met several times and we decided we need another person, a boots on the ground sort of person, whose sole focus is the opioid problem,” said Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden. “The crisis has reached a point where we need a person handling it full-time.” The two counties will split the cost of the new Addiction and Recovery Coordinator at the cost of $39,000 per county. “We started taking inventory of the services we offer,” said Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell. “We want people to know what we are doing to fight this epidemic.” Columbia County reported 11 opioid overdose deaths in 2017, a rate of 18.15 per 100,000 people. Greene County reported seven opioid overdose deaths in 2017, a rate of 14.76 per 100,000. Both counties report rates well above the state average of 6.82. The new coordinator position will begin a two-year pilot program that will then be evaluated prior to renewal, Groden said. The measure is expected to come up before the full Greene County Legislature later this month. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.