Cover photo: (Left to right) Greg Kronred, the first life to be saved under the new EpiPen law & Legislator Dominick Thorne
(Credit – Matt Meduri)
In 2022, Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue) sponsored a bill that was unanimously passed by the Legislature to allocate Epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens) to Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) vehicles.
Thorne’s bill, called “Gio’s Law”, just went on the books last year, with full implementation occurring just weeks ago, and has already proven to be a life-saving initiative.
Greg Kronred, 72, of Dix Hills, was working on Sunday in Wyandanch and was stung by a bee. He suddenly felt dizzy and managed to get inside the building and call his son, Kevin, who called 911. The police officers who arrived administered the EpiPen to Kronred’s leg, saving his life.
“What’s the value of a life?” asked Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) (pictured below). “Priceless.”
Romaine said that while the initiative cost about $25,000 – “not a huge amount” in the overall operating budget – it was “well worth” the investment for such a valuable tool.
The law is named for Giovanni Cipriano, a fourteen-year-old Lynbrook boy who passed away after experiencing an anaphylactic attack. Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue) (pictured below) and Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford) helped carry the bill in Albany to clarify that Nassau and Suffolk first responders were permitted to carry the devices.
“With the addition of our new police commissioner and our county executive, we implemented this law, and I’m so very thankful for them pushing for this,” said Legislator Thorne, joined by Legislators Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), Nick Caracappa (C-Selden), Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), and Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport). “I made Georgina a promise that I would not let this go. To the rest of the State, pay attention to Suffolk County and do the same so we can all save lives.”
Giovanni’s mother, Georgina Cornago, thanked Legislator Thorne for “keeping his promise” to her that he would solve the problem.
“Allergic reactions can happen anywhere and at any time,” said Cornago. “This is the kind of forward thinking and action we need to see everywhere. I’m sure Giovanni is looking down right now saying, ‘thank you.’”
Senator Murray said that the bill’s passage through Albany was promulgated not just through bipartisanship, but by cooperation between legislators as far apart on the political spectrum as possible. The bill was carried by Senator Julia Salazar (D-Bushwick). As far as their differences, Murray said, “none of that mattered.”
“This is what happens when government actually works the way it’s supposed to,” said Murray. “This is how it’s supposed to work. We hear about all the dysfunction, the partisanship and all of that, but when common sense, doing the right thing, and working together at all levels of government, regardless of party, it works out great.”
Kronred said that if the officers weren’t there with an EpiPen, he wouldn’t have survived.
“They did a fantastic job. If they weren’t there doing their job, I wouldn’t be here today. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Kronred.
The police body cam footage from the incident was played, showing officers’ quick use of the EpiPen to save Kronred’s life. The officers were commended with proclamations for their work.
“They say timing is everything, and in this case, timing saved a life,” said SCPD Deputy Commissioner Belinda Alvarez-Groneman. “Twenty-five of our patrol cars were equipped with these life-saving EpiPens on Thursday, and just a few days later, we were reminded of the critical need for these devices. Make no mistake, had this EpiPen not been at our disposal, the outcome could have been deadly.”
One of the responding officers was Sara Feldman, a rookie who just completed her graduation in July. She told CBS News that the EpiPens had been stocked in her cruiser just two days before the incident in Wyandanch. Other responding officers included Ryan Belanger and Brandon Casco. The three were honored after the press conference at Hauppuage’s H. Lee Dennison Building on Tuesday afternoon.
State Legislators continue to lobby for an expanded version of the bill that would unlock $25 million in funding to proliferate EpiPens to police cruisers. Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) and Congresswoman Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) have introduced a bipartisan federal version of “Gio’s Law”, which would establish a national grant program under the Department of Justice to provide access and training to police officers on the use of these life-saving tools.
“This is a prime example of the result when you fund your police department,” said Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Lou Civello (pictured above). “What sets the Suffolk County Police Department apart is that these are not just police professionals; they’re also EMTs. More often than not, police are the first ones on the scene when someone is in medical distress.”
Civello said that the response is multi-faceted, wherein a department can have “all the training in the world”, but can fall short of saving lives without the proper tools.
