Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a Request for Proposals for the availability of up to $4.7 million in annual funding for statewide problem gambling outreach, education and treatment services.

The RFP includes the development and oversight of seven Problem Gambling Resource Centers across the state. The initiative will be funded in part through a $500 annual license fee charged to casinos operating in New York State, for each gambling table and slot machine at their facilities. The RFP is available at oasas.ny.gov. Responses are due June 8, 2017.

The Governor also issued a proclamation recognizing March 30, 2017 as Problem Gambling Awareness Day in New York State.

“This funding will help educate the public on gambling addiction and help ensure those in need of help receive access to the resources and treatment they need,” Cuomo said. “We are giving New Yorkers in every part of the state the recovery-focused support they need to make their recovery possible, and bringing us another step closer to a stronger and healthier New York for all.”

The new Problem Gambling Resource Centers will serve as the hub for coordinating referrals for problem gambling services in their region. They will also coordinate with local gambling facilities to ensure information and referrals are available if needed.

“This funding will allow us to educate the public, improve access to treatment and continue to provide much needed services for those who are affected by problem gambling,” said New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “As with other addictions, problem gambling has serious consequences for individuals, as well as their friends, loved ones and communities.”

Under the terms of the 2013 law legalizing casino gambling in New York State, new casinos are required to deposit a $500 annual license fee into the Commercial Gaming Revenue Fund, for every slot machine and gambling table they operate. The law requires that the funds are to be used exclusively for problem gambling education and treatment purposes.

In an effort to increase access to problem gambling services throughout the State, the $4.7 million in funding will be available as a direct five-year contract with OASAS. Specifically, $1.4 million will be for outreach, education, awareness and training, and $3.3 million for the seven regional Problem Gambling Resource Centers. No capital funds are available through this RFP.

The organization that is awarded a contract under the initiative will have the opportunity to:

• Develop statewide public education and awareness information related to problem gambling;
• Serve as the statewide center for problem gambling resources and information;
• Provide training, technical assistance and community partnerships; and
• Develop, implement and oversee seven regional Problem Gambling Resource Centers, to ensure access to culturally relevant problem gambling services in all regions throughout the State, while also building collaborative relationships with local gambling facilities.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).

File photo by Tom Rivers: Orchard Manor, a 160-bed nursing home in Medina, would face $1.4 million annually in reduced funding if the Affordable Care Act is repealed with a Trump healthcare plan, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s data.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has continued to speak out against the push to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a plan backed by President Trump and Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House. (That vote was scheduled for today but pushed back until Friday to give Ryan and Trump more time to secure Republican votes.)

Cuomo detailed said the repeal and replacement would have devastating cuts to nursing homes. An analysis from the State Department of Health counted $35.7 million in cuts to nursing homes in the 27^th Congressional District represented by Chris Collins, a vocal advocate for the new health care plan.

There are two nursing homes in Orleans County and combined would see about $2.5 million in reduced funding with the Trump health care plan, according to Cuomo.

Those cuts include $1,421,129 to the 160-bed Orchard Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina, and $1,151,265 to the 120-bed Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion.

Cuomo said the funding reductions would jeopardize nursing homes’ ability to provide critical services for seniors, hurting New York’s most vulnerable citizens and jeopardizing hundreds of jobs across the district.

“This reckless legislation slashes funding from nursing homes and facilities that provide care to seniors, jeopardizing the lives of our most vulnerable New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “These devastating cuts will cripple health care services in communities across New York, with $35.7 million in cuts to nursing homes in the 27th District alone. I urge New Yorkers to call their member of Congress and demand that they vote ‘no’ on this unconscionable legislation.”

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Provided photo: Wendy Jacobson (left), CEO and president of Orleans Community Health, and Joanna Miller, administrator of the OCH healthcare site in Albion, are pictured with a pledge to increase colorectal screenings in Orleans County.

Press Release, Orleans Community Health

Orleans Community Health is joining forces with over 500 local and national organizations to increase colorectal cancer screenings rates across the country.

The “80% by 2018” is a shared goal to have 80 percent of adults aged 50 and older regularly screened for colorectal cancer by 2018.

Colorectal cancer screening has been proven to save lives.  Orleans Community Health today announced that it has made the pledge to help increase colorectal cancer screening rates by supporting the 80% by 2018 initiative, led by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (an organization co-founded by ACS and CDC).

Colorectal cancer is the nation’s second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. However, it is one of only a few cancers that can be prevented. Through proper colorectal cancer screening, doctors can find and remove hidden growths (called “polyps”) in the colon, before they become cancerous. Removing polyps can prevent cancer altogether.

“80% by 2018” is a National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) initiative in which over 500 organizations have committed to substantially reducing colorectal cancer as a major public health problem and are working toward the shared goal of 80% of adults aged 50 and older being regularly screened for colorectal cancer by 2018.

“Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem, and adults age 50 and older should be regularly screened for it, but we have found that many people aren’t getting tested because they don’t believe they are at risk, don’t understand that there are testing options or don’t think they can afford it,” said Dr. Mary Rykert-Wolf of the Albion Health Center.  “The truth is that the vast majority of cases of colorectal cancer occur in people age 50 and older. Colorectal cancer in its early stages usually has no symptoms, so everyone 50 and older should get tested.”

There are several screening options – even take home options – available. Plus, many public and private insurance plans cover colorectal cancer screening and there may be local resources available to help those that are uninsured.

“Getting screened is much easier and more affordable than getting treated,” Rykert-Wolf said. “Only 25% of those diagnosed with colon cancer have a family history, the rest just appear. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

While colorectal cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the U.S. over the last 10 years among adults 50 and older, it is still the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S, despite being highly preventable, detectable and treatable. In fact, in 2015 in the U.S., 132,700 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed.

Part of the 80% by 2018 goal is to leverage the energy of multiple and diverse partners to empower communities, patients, providers to increase screening rates. The 80% by 2018 initiative consists of health care providers, health systems, communities, businesses, community health centers, government, non-profit organizations and patient advocacy groups who are committed to getting more people screened for colorectal cancer to prevent more cancers and save lives.

“We are thrilled to join the cause to improve colorectal cancer screening rates,” said Wendy Jacobson, CEO/Orleans Community Health.  “We are asking all members of our community to come together and help us by getting screened and talking to your friends and family who are over 50 years of age about getting screened. Together, we can help to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem.”

For more information or to learn about resources in your area, visit: www.orleanscommunityhealth.org or call the Cancer Services Program of Genesee and Orleans Counties at 585-344-5497.

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Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that health insurers are required under New York Insurance Law to provide medically necessary coverage for 3-D mammograms without co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.

3-D mammography screening, or tomosynthesis, can be more effective at detecting cancer in dense breast tissue, which is more common in women of color. This action builds on actions the Governor took earlier this year to support the health and reproductive rights of New York women, and legislation he signed last year to enhance access to breast cancer screenings.

“We are undertaking the most aggressive action in the nation to expand access to breast cancer screenings, because early detection is the best possible treatment,” Cuomo said. “By expanding access to cutting-edge, life-saving breast cancer screening options, like 3D mammograms, we are taking our efforts to protect our mothers, sisters and daughters another step further. We will continue working to further remove barriers to breast cancer detection and treatment to create a stronger, healthier New York for all.”

Tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, uses X-rays to collect multiple images of the breast from several angles that a computer synthesizes to create a 3-D image of the breast. Studies have shown that breast density is one of the strongest predictors of risk for breast cancer and that the risk of cancer for women with dense breast tissue, many of whom are women of color, is much greater.

In particular, Black women tend to have denser breast tissue, which limits the sensitivity of a screening mammography, thus requiring improved screening technologies such as early detection and screening by appropriate methods. Studies have shown that 3-D mammography appears to be more effective at detecting lesions in dense breast tissue than 2-D mammography.

Even though screening mammography rates for Black and White women are about the same, Black women’s cancers are detected later, in part due to access issues such as affordability, and they are more likely to die from breast cancer than White women. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Black women and the second leading cause of death for Black women.

Linda Goler Blount, President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, said, “I thank Governor Cuomo for his work in ensuring that all women, regardless of race or income, have unrestricted access to the care they need to live long, healthy lives. It is a bold step for a state to require insurers to cover 3-D mammography with no cost-sharing.  The fact that Black women now have access to 3-D mammography means there is a much greater chance they will get their difficult-to-detect cancers detected much earlier.”

The actions announced today continue a series of actions led by Cuomo to support women’s health and reproductive rights, including increasing access to breast cancer screenings and health insurance coverage in groundbreaking legislation that went into effect January 1, 2017; ensuring that all medically necessary abortion services are covered by health insurance policies without cost sharing; and ensuring that all women are covered by health insurance policies for contraceptives in amounts up to 12 month’s supply at a time without cost-sharing.

Legislation signed by Governor Cuomo in 2016, and now in effect, increases access to breast cancer screenings and health insurance coverage and built upon $91 million in investments to increase awareness and screening for breast cancer, including a public awareness campaign, community outreach programs, patient navigators, and mobile mammography vans.

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Press Release, GCC

MEDINA – Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and opioid addiction is the driving force behind this issue.

Death rates from accidental overdoses have increased more than 600 percent in the last 10 years in the U.S. from prescription drugs and accidental overdose deaths have increased close to 500 percent in Erie County in one year.

If you were in the presence of an opioid-related emergency, would you know what to do? On Monday, March 20, Horizon Health Services will host free Narcan Training at the GCC Medina Campus Center from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

A child who ingests an adult opiate painkiller prescription, an elderly person who forgets and takes too much of their opiate painkiller medication and a loved one who struggles with opiate/heroin addiction are a few examples of situations that can lead to an accidental overdose. Attendees of the training will learn how to recognize and respond to an opiate overdose, who may be at risk, and how to administer Narcan, a prescription medicine that blocks the effects of opioids and reverses an overdose.

Seats for the Narcan training will be limited and those interested in attending should call 585-798-1688 for reservations. Horizon Health Services Parent & Family Support Coordinator Colleen Babcock will lead the training.

Campus center also hosting exhibit from the Indian Arts Project

GCC Medina also has on display 20 photos/prints from the Indian Arts Project, which was recently housed at the Rosalie “Roz” Steiner Art Gallery at the GCC Batavia Campus Center.

Before his death in 1955, Rochester Museum Director Arthur C. Parker created the Indian Arts Project to help his Seneca relatives and friends with federal funds from the Works Progress Administration. The program employed people of Tonawanda and Cattaraugus Reservations to recreate the objects of their everyday lives, building a collection for the Museum.

The display, which will be shown through the end of March, includes work from Freeman C. Johnson, a former member of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas and Wahbee tribe. He was involved in numerous community activities before he was killed in an automobile accident in 1969, and frequently gave speeches and wrote letters about legislation concerning the Native American. Johnson was instrumental in preserving Gannagaro, an historic sixteenth century Seneca Village, located in what is now Victor, New York.

The Medina Campus Center is located at 11470 Maple Ridge Rd., Medina, NY 14103. For more information, contact the Medina Campus Center at (585) 798-1688.

Press Release, Hospice of Orleans

ALBION – A $10,000 grant from the Lyndonville Area Foundation will be instrumental in growing an important program available to all Orleans County residents who are facing serious illness.

The Supportive Care program offered as part of Hospice of Orleans, Inc.’s continuum of care is open to all residents, and the service does not require a prognosis of 6 months or less.

“Community members aren’t always aware that Hospice of Orleans, Inc. offers assistance to people who do not want to give up curative treatments,” said Kellie Spychalski, CEO of Hospice of Orleans. “Our Supportive Care program provides patients assistance with options for pain management, case management, and support while facing illnesses and treatments that are so often confusing and overwhelming to those dealing with them. We are here to help during some of the most challenging times a family faces. The Lyndonville Area Foundation’s generous gift is a tremendous help to us as we continue to grow this important service.”

Hospice Supportive Care staff provide unparalleled levels of support to patients and the caregiver(s) within our community.  Along with regular RN and social work visits, patients and their caregivers have access to trained volunteers, spiritual support, education, and when appropriate, aide services.

Supportive Care services continue to grow, and some health insurance carriers provide coverage for this service, and for others, the services are provided at no cost to the patient and/or family members thanks to generous contributors like the Lyndonville Area Foundation.

“Too many people fall through the cracks,” said Brittany Dix, Development Manager for Hospice of Orleans. “Some folks are facing very serious circumstances but aren’t yet able to receive the benefits of Hospice because of a prognosis that is longer than 6 months. However, these people still need great care, and their caregivers still need to be able to be supported while providing it. That is what Supportive Care is all about, and we are thrilled that the Lyndonville Area Foundation recognizes the significance of a program like this to so many in our community. We are excited for the opportunity to serve any and all of our neighbors that would benefit from Supportive Care. We are confident that the relief that this program provides will continue to be seen by those that need it most.”

For further information and access to Supportive Care Services or any of the many services Hospice of Orleans, Inc. offers, please call (585) 589-0809.

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Press Release, Nola Goodrich-Kresse, public health educator for the Orleans County Health Department

Delegates from all 57 counties and the City of New York recently convened in Albany at the Legislative Conference of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC).

Hundreds of county officials attended meetings, educational forums, keynote addresses and state budget presentations over the course of the three-day conference on Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.

At several breakout sessions during the conference, Orleans and Genesee County representatives had the opportunity to showcase their innovative public health shared service model to attendees. Dave Callard (chairman of the Orleans County Legislature), Paul Pettit (public health director, Genesee and Orleans County) and Matt Landers (assistant county manager, Genesee County) all participated in panel discussions highlighting the project over the past four years.

Dave Callard commented that “Counties across New York State continue to face unprecedented fiscal pressures under the tax cap without significant mandate relief. These burdens are continually pushing Counties to cut services and be creative in how to deliver the remaining essential services in a cost effective manner.”

In response to the current environment, Genesee and Orleans County began a strategic Cross Jurisdictional Services (CJS) PILOT project in October of 2012 to study and assess the merits of sharing Public Health Services.

“This project started as a shared senior administration model that immediately allowed both counties to experience financial savings while enhancing service delivery. This initiative and integrated relationship was the first and still the only of its kind in New York State,” stated Paul Pettit.

In four and half years, Genesee and Orleans Counties can attribute a return on investment of over $1,000,000 in combined savings from their CJS efforts.

The cross jurisdictional project in public health services has both regulatory and logistical complexities and the success is the result of significant hard work, flexibility and forward thinking of both counties administration, boards of health and health department staff.

The counties continue to proactively respond to the difficult fiscal environment being faced by working through differences and understanding that working together, within and across county lines, results in fiscal savings and enhanced services for their residents.

“Both Orleans and Genesee Counties are very proud of the results from the project and couldn’t be more pleased to share our success story with the other counties across the state so that they may benefit from what we have learned,” added Callard.

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Provided photos

MEDINA – Staff at the Orchard Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Medina joined the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women national movement today to help raise awareness and to save more lives.

The top photo includes, front row, from left: Laura Lechner, Nellie Garcia, Carrie Ryan, Amy Martin and RoseAnn Velesko. Back row: Jamie Murphy, Michele Clor, Laurie Seager, Luann Thompson, Judy May, Tabitha Miller, Jaime Tucker, Patty DiNardo, Lisa Giattino and Debbie Feltz.

More women than men die every year from heart disease and stroke. Go Red For Women advocates for more research and swifter action for women’s heart health. The movement harnesses the energy, passion, and power women have to band together and collectively wipe out heart disease and stroke.

Staff members made donations and wore red today to support the event.

Pictured, front row, from left: Cassidy Oliver, Desiree Braham, Elizabeth Schyve, Mary Luckman and Brenda Cherry. Back row: Richard Pizzuto and Jordon Snowdon.

Some members of the Orleans County Office for the Aging staff also wore red today. They include, from left: Melissa Blanar (director), Tammy Graham, Samantha, Koons, Amanda Edick, Michele Sargent (in back), Leanne Donovan, Susie Miller, Becky Karls and Chris Hermann.

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Provided photo: Kendall students last week gave a presentation on tobacco marketing and teen smoking.

Press Release, Tobacco-Free Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming

ALBION – At the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition meeting on Jan. 26, Reality Check youth from Kendall Junior Senior High School presented research and evidence on the tobacco industry and their retail store marketing and advertising. The group’s single most important message was clear: “We’ve Seen Enough!”

After the presentation was complete, the student advocates answered questions and led a discussion on potential ways the community can take action in protecting children, as well as teens like them, from hard-hitting tobacco marketing that causes youth smoking.

“(I didn’t realize how) kids are targeted before they even walk in the store, with bright, colorful promotions on windows and walls,” said Reality Check member and Kendall student, Dillion Morgott. “Tobacco products are also placed alongside ads for snacks, candy and ice cream that kids know and love.”

In New York State, the average age of a new smoker is 13 years old, and 90 percent of adult smokers say they first tried smoking by age 18. The U.S. Surgeon General calls smoking a “pediatric epidemic” and says, “Advertising and promotional activities by tobacco companies have been shown to cause the onset and continuation of smoking among adolescents and young adults.”  Even with all of this data, research shows stores popular among adolescents contain almost three times more tobacco marketing materials compared to other stores in the same community.

Shelly Wolanske, youth engagement coordinator of Tobacco-Free Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties (TF-GLOW) and Reality Check leader, lauds her advocates’ efforts in educating lawmakers and community members about tobacco marketing and standing up for a healthier Orleans County.

“Their efforts, along with partner support from the Drug Free Communities Coalition members, we can continue to build awareness, promote action and create change that will have a positive impact for the children of our community,” she said.

For more information about TF-GLOW programs or Reality Check, contact Shelly Wolanske at 585-343-5997 or shelly.wolanske@roswellpark.org.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: Russ Peters, pastor of the Alabama Full Gospel Fellowship Church in Shelby, speaks during Friday’s Legislative Luncheon at Tillman’s Village Inn.

GAINES – As the community, state and country grapple with how to respond to an opioid crisis resulting in numerous overdose deaths, local churches in Orleans County are willing to help.

Russ Peters, pastor of the Alabama Full Gospel Fellowship in Shelby, said he has led several funeral services for people who have suffered fatal overdoses.

Drug addictions are plaguing the community, Peters said during Friday’s Legislative Luncheon attended by about 100 people. That event at the Village Inn was organized by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce and offered a forum to discuss issues.

Peters said several church leaders have formed Pastors Aligned for Community Transformation (PACT). Last week, PACT had prayer sessions at 6 p.m. from Monday through Friday at different churches. The opioid crisis is among the leading concerns for churches, Peters said.

PACT last year led discussions about addictions, the opioid crisis and overcoming barriers that keep people in poverty. Debbie Davis is founder of the faith-based “One Voice,” a non-profit organization that works with people fighting addictions in West Virginia. She met with the PACT leaders and the community last June to discuss how churches in her community reached out to people struggling with addictions and feelings of hopelessness.

Sheriff Randy Bower said the Sheriff’s Office has strengthened a partnership with 77 churches in the county.

“We will be reaching out,” Bower said during the Legislative Luncheon.

The Sheriff’s Office last year started a program in the county jail to help people with addictions.

“It’s near and dear to my heart,” Bower said. “We want to help these people.”

Bower said assisting people with addictions will reduce crimes, because many larcenies and burglaries are committed by people trying to fuel drug cravings.

Bower noted the governor’s budget includes $200 million more in the fight against opioid addictions.

The state earlier this month announced it would fund a methadone clinic in Batavia, open to people in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties, helping them to fight opioid addictions.

“It’s a very serious issue,” State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said. “It touches every strata.”

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Kellie Spychalski

ALBION – The former leader of the Arc of Orleans County has been picked to be the new leader of Hospice of Orleans. Kellie Spychalski will lead Hospice following the retirement of Mary Anne Fischer, who worked with Hospice since 1992, leading the organization since its infancy in Orleans County.

Spychalski was director of the Arc of Orleans before taking the director’s job for the Arc’s counterpart in Niagara County, Opportunities Unlimited. She worked 21 years for the Arc of Orleans, including two years as executive director.

The Hospice position gives Spychalski the chance to work much closer to her home in Holley.

Hospice announced Spychalski’s hiring today.

“I am honored and excited to have been selected to serve as the CEO for the Hospice of Orleans County,” Spychalski said in a statement. “I wholeheartedly believe that people should be empowered to make their own health care decisions including end of life care. Hospice of Orleans is a wonderful organization which provides outstanding care and support to people faced with life-limiting illness and their loved ones.

“My family and several of our close friends have seen first-hand the impact that Hospice has on families during some of the most challenging times in their lives. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors, staff, donors, community partners and the many caring and dedicated volunteers who make Hospice such a great organization and true asset to our community.”

The Hospice Board of Directors selected Spychalski after review of her education and experience which includes a MS in Health Care Administration, BS in Organizational Management from Roberts Wesleyan College, an AAS in Human Services from GCC, as well as a 30-year career in the field of human services in roles ranging from direct hands-on care to Corporate Compliance to Executive Director, most recently working with The Arc of Orleans County and Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara.

Spychalski also serves in the community through the Holley Board of Education in Holley as well as Orleans Community Health board of directors.

She lives in Holley with her husband Ron and is mother to 2 grown sons.

“I am excited about working together to continue to meet the needs of Orleans County residents and expand services and opportunities which enhance people’s quality of life,” she said. “Together we will build on the many successes Hospice has experienced over the past 25 years.”

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BATAVIA – The state announced today it is giving $820,000 to establish a methadone clinic in Batavia that will be open to people fighting opioid addictions in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming counties.

The methadone clinic will have room for 150 people at the outpatient clinic. It will be located at 430 East Main St. and includes an 1,100-square-foot addition.

The site will work with patients who are chronically addicted and haven’t had success using Suboxone to fight heroin and prescription drug addictions, said John Bennett, executive director of Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

GCASA took the lead on the project after seeing a rise in opioid addictions locally, including many fatal overdoses. Many local patients have been driving to Rochester or Buffalo daily to receive treatment at methadone clinics.

Bennett said the clinic in Batavia will take 12-14 months to get ready, which includes new construction and developing the program. He expects the site will begin seeing patients in February-March 2018.

It will help people battling addictions, and should also reduce crime in the community because many people with opioid addictions will commit burglaries and larcenies trying to feed their drug addictions.

“These are people already in our community struggling with drug addiction, heroin or prescription medication,” Bennett said today.

The methadone clinic will provide medicine and counseling for patients, as well as structured activities, Bennett said.

The $820,000 for GCASA is part of $8.2 million announced today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for eight addiction treatment providers, serving 600 people total.

“This administration continues the fight against opioid and heroin addiction and this funding will help ensure more New Yorkers will get the help they need to get on the road to recovery,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “These new beds will help change lives and save lives, and bring us one step closer to a stronger and healthier New York for all.”

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If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, an estimated 2.7 million New Yorkers would lose coverage, including 4,522 in Orleans County, according to data from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act – “Obamacare” – would also cost the state $595 million in lost federal revenue with Orleans County seeing a loss of $667,917 to the county government, according to Cuomo.

“The cost of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, to state and local budgets and to the New Yorkers who depend on its health care coverage, is simply too high to justify,” Governor Cuomo said. “Since its implementation, the Affordable Care Act has become a powerful tool to lower the cost of health insurance for local governments and New Yorkers, and it is essential that the federal government does not jeopardize the health and livelihoods of millions of working families.”

The NY State of Health exchange has cut the percentage of uninsured New Yorkers in half, from 10 percent to 5 percent. It has also significantly expanded eligibility and access to health coverage, allowing hundreds of thousands of previously uninsured New Yorkers to achieve economic and healthcare security, Cuomo said.

George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, said, “New York’s healthcare workers see the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act every day. Our patients are able to access preventative care instead of coming to emergency rooms in states of advanced illness. Our employers have reduced losses from uncompensated care. Our friends and relatives are relieved of the fear that getting sick equals financial ruin. Repealing the Affordable Care Act without an adequate replacement would have immediate and devastating consequences for millions of our fellow New Yorkers and for state and local budgets. We applaud Governor Cuomo’s leadership in educating New Yorkers about costs and are proud to stand with him to advocate for the health all New Yorkers,”

Bea Grause, President of the Healthcare Association of New York, said, “In addition to providing care to those in need, hospitals are major employers in communities all across the state. Repeal of the ACA could have tremendous consequences for the delivery of healthcare and also in terms of jobs and economic activity. It’s imperative that Congress be mindful of this reality. I’m pleased to join the Governor in this important effort to protect New Yorkers.”

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