State announces $25 million to fight opioid crisis, including $650K for GCASA

Posted 6 September 2018 at 2:58 pm

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the distribution of $25.2 million dollars in federal funding through the Opioid State Targeted Response Grant, which will expand critical initiatives to combat the opioid crisis. In the second year New York State has been awarded this grant, 19 additional counties have been selected to receive funding. Funding will be distributed to programs that offer prevention, treatment, and recovery services in high-need areas across the state to increase access to treatment, and reduce unmet need and overdose-related deaths.

“This opioid crisis devastates families and entire communities and we must do everything in our power to fight back against this very real threat to New Yorkers,” Governor Cuomo said. “It’s critical that we continue to lead the nation in implementing new, effective solutions to save lives, and this funding will provide the expanded services and treatment that those suffering from addiction so desperately need.”

Funding for the Opioid State Targeted Response Grant is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Last year, 16 counties were recipients of the grant funding. This year, 19 additional counties have been identified as having high needs, for a total of 35 counties being supported through the second year of the grant. New counties to receive funding were designated as having high needs based on the number of opioid overdose deaths, hospitalizations involving opioids and residents leaving the county to access addiction treatment services.

The 19 counties awarded funding through the second year of the grant are: Suffolk, Broome, Oneida, Orange, Bronx, Cortland, Schenectady, Monroe, Richmond, Genesee, Nassau, Columbia, Kings, Herkimer, New York, Otsego, Dutchess, Queens, and Wayne. These counties will share more than $15 million to increase access to treatment through initiatives that include expanded mobile treatment, telepractice and peer services.

The Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc. has been approved for $650,000.

In addition, these high-need counties will share more than $1.3 million to expand medication-assisted treatment and treatment transition for patients in local correctional facilities and state parole violator facilities.

Since taking office, Governor Cuomo has instituted an aggressive, multi-pronged approach to addressing the opioid epidemic by expanding access to traditional services, such as treatment programs, and recommending new, non-traditional services, including recovery centers and 24/7 open access centers. The governor has also worked to increase the availability of naloxone, resulting in more than 300,000 individuals in New York State receiving training to administer the opioid overdose reversal medication.

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).

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