Empire State Today

Governor Kathy Hochul July 7 announced more than $5.5 million to support addiction outreach and engagement services designed to reach underserved populations across New York State. Overseen by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, this funding, distributed through New York State's Opioid Settlement Fund, will help connect high-need individuals to a variety of services they may not have access to otherwise.

"My administration remains committed to implementing a multi-faceted strategy to address the opioid and overdose epidemic across New York," Governor Hochul said. "Through this more than $5.5 million award, we can help connect high-need individuals to the care they need to improve their health and well-being."

These services are being delivered under two models - the Clinic Model and the Street Outreach model. The Clinic Model will be delivered by an OASAS, Office of Mental Health, or Department of Health certified program, while services under the Street Outreach Model will also be delivered by harm reduction providers.

Both models support street outreach teams, who will visit areas where high-risk populations tend to congregate to offer overdose prevention education, naloxone, and other harm reduction supplies, and also work to connect individuals to treatment and other support services. The Clinic Model treatment teams will deliver clinical treatment services like medication to treat addiction, and will also include peers who will deliver harm reduction services.

Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, "It is vital that we continue to address the barriers that many people face when accessing addiction services. These two initiatives, which expand already successful existing services, will be critical in supporting our ongoing efforts to reach high-need populations, wherever they are, and connect them to lifesaving services to support their health."

Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, "The outreach efforts supported by this funding will help to ensure that high-risk populations that have been underserved for many years will have access to the treatment and support services they need. This is a lifesaving step in our efforts to address drug addiction and the opioid crisis."

State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, "New York State is facing an opioid epidemic, and it's so important that all residents dealing with the effects of substance use disorder know they have support. I know Governor Hochul is committed to ensuring that underserved communities have access to lifesaving resources that can help them overcome addiction and live healthy and fulfilling lives."

Street Outreach Model

12 Providers across New York State are receiving a total of $3,584,083 through the Street Outreach initiative.

Capital District

• Rise Housing and Support Services - $312,815

Central NY

• East Hill Medical Center - $309,324
• Farnham, Inc. - $325,000
• Onondaga County Health Dept. $325,000

Long Island

• Community Action for Social Justice - $325,000
• Outreach Development Corp. - $325,000

Mid-Hudson

• Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health - $306,250

New York City

• Center for Community Alternatives - $250,000
• Federation of Organizations Queens - $250,000

Southern Tier

• Southern Tier AIDS Program - $302,000

Western NY

• Allegany Rehabilitation Associates - $243,694
• Evergreen Health - $310,000

OASAS currently funds 20 providers offering these services in New York, Bronx, Richmond, Erie, Monroe, Sullivan, Tompkins and Albany counties, bringing the total number of providers offering this model to 32.

Clinic Model

Each of the providers below, listed with the counties they will serve, is receiving up to $400,000 through this initiative.

• 820 River Street (Warren and Essex)
• Allegany Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse (Allegany & Steuben)
• PROMESA (Chautauqua & Cattaraugus)
• Samadhi Center, Inc. (Delaware and Ulster)
• St. Lawrence Community Services (St. Lawrence)

OASAS currently funds 18 Outreach and Engagement Service providers to deliver the clinic model, and with this funding that number will increase to 23. From June 1st, 2022, through May 31st, 2023, these existing providers reached 7,027 unique individuals with these services.

New York State is receiving more than $2 billion through various settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies that were secured by Attorney General Letitia James. A portion of the funding from these settlements will go directly to municipalities, with the remainder deposited into a dedicated fund to support prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery efforts to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The same legislation that established the dedicated fund also created the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board, which is tasked with making recommendations on how settlement dollars should be allocated to best serve those in need. Board members issued their first recommendations on November 1, 2022, identifying the expansion of harm reduction services and treatment as top priorities.

New York State has instituted an aggressive, multi-pronged approach to addressing the overdose epidemic, and created a nation-leading continuum of addiction care with full prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services. The state has worked to expand access to traditional services, including crisis services, inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment programs, as well as medication to treat addiction, and mobile treatment and transportation services.

Governor Hochul was a member of the NYS Heroin and Opioid Task Force, which in 2016, recommended new, non-traditional services, including recovery centers, youth clubhouses, expanded peer services, and open access centers, which provide immediate assessments and referrals to care. These services have since been established in numerous communities around the state and have helped people in need access care closer to where they live.

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports oversees one of the nation's largest substance use disorder systems of care with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment and recovery programs serving over 731,000 individuals per year. This includes the direct operation of 12 Addiction Treatment Centers where our doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to approximately 8,000 individuals per year.

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).

Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website.

If you, or a loved one, have experienced insurance obstacles related to treatment or need help filing an appeal for a denied claim, contact the CHAMP helpline by phone at 888-614-5400 or email at ombuds@oasas.ny.gov.

Original source can be found here.