42. Jeffrey Reynolds

Jeffrey Reynolds knows full well the terrible human cost of Long Island’s untreated addicts. For years he’s been a tireless advocate for providing desperate people a way out of their dependency, whether it’s heroin, alcohol or oxycodone. As the longtime executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, he’s seen firsthand what happens when detox beds aren’t available in Nassau and Suffolk because a hospital like Nassau University Medical Center has to slash services under severe budget pressure. Addiction remains one of Long Island’s most pressing public health problems and it’s a crime that the official response to this crisis is so paltry and parsimonious. But if Reynolds had his way—and why he doesn’t is another outrage—there would be more alternatives, not fewer, and every Long Island hospital would be going out of their way to accommodate detox patients, not sending them home because they’re an inconvenience. Watching an addict go through withdrawal on a bathroom floor is not pretty. Providing a safe, secure place for these despondent people to achieve sobriety and stability in their lives is the key. It shouldn’t be that hard, yet it is, but thanks to Reynolds’ persistence the road to recovery may be just around the corner. Now at the Family & Children’s Association, Reynolds can broaden his outreach to help Long Island’s vulnerable children, seniors and families through a community of caring.