As 2020 Comes to a Close: A Message from the CEO

This year has been unusual in so many respects. Our resolves, faiths, and tenacities have been tested for over ten months now. We have suffered losses and multiple pains, including emotional, mental and physical. We have endured an almost constant barraging drain on our senses. For over two straight weeks now we have experienced more than 100K daily COVID-19 cases nationally. As a result, many of us have lost loved ones, friends, or colleagues. Many more have been unable to see our loved ones, but for the benefits of social media.

I for one, have been unable to see, hold, and hug my family for close to a year. I consider the risks too high to endanger myself and those I love any more than I have to. But I also know I am not alone and I know we are looking forward to a really great Holiday season next year; we will celebrate twice as hard in 2021. Various vaccines and antibody drugs are in development, and we should all be immensely grateful to all of the scientists, nurses, doctors, caregivers, and caretakers, that risk their lives daily in the hopes of developing something fast, and caring for the ill until we do.

Yet the truly amazing thing, what is truly astonishing is that despite these pains, throughout these arduous journeys, throughout these uncertainties, we have found the inner strength and fortitude to trudge on. A true testament to the human spirit. Through it all, we have managed to be there for one another, for our friends, colleagues, and for our families. We have remained united, and that should be foremost in all our minds.

In my humble opinion, in order to succeed and defeat this Pandemic in the end, it is in our best interests, indeed our civic duty to maintain our focus on what needs getting done. Let’s each do our part by adhering to the CDC’s policies and protocols. It also our fervent hope that at some point soon, the entire country is protected with enough COVID vaccinations that we successfully eradicate this Pandemic as we have historically done to other calamitous diseases in the past.

In the meantime, our staff, Board of Directors, and myself, offer you only the best for the coming year. Better times lie ahead!

Be kind to yourselves and let’s make it our mission to take care of each other, as best we can.

Happy Holidays!

by Nelson Jose Tiburcio PhD

Dr. Nelson Jose Tiburcio, is not only the Chief Executive Officer at The SASSI Institute, he is also a Latino drug and alcohol researcher, originally from New York City. His academic degree is in Criminal Justice from the Graduate Center of New York and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. His training and expertise have been in the areas of substance use and abuse, sustained opioid recovery, public health, HIV/HCV prevention and treatment, community reentry, recidivism, cultural competence and health literacy in major urban areas. During a period of over twenty years, he has led, directed and/or collaborated on studies investigating the various initiates and public health consequences of illicit drug use, mostly heroin and prescription opioids but including cocaine, crack and other drugs among them.