SAFE Glen Cove Coalition: Governor to Address Opioid Epidemic

In response to the newly released information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicating that more than 107,000 Americans died of overdoses last year, the Governor is reinforcing ongoing investments and her continued commitment to addressing this critical issue.

One of the Governor's first actions upon taking office was appointing a new Commissioner of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, a physician and expert in treating substance use disorder who has been working to expand and enhance the State's addiction services system. OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest Substance Use Disorder (SUD) systems of care with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery programs serving over 680,000 individuals per year. OASAS is the state agency designated to provide the coordination of state-federal relations in the area of addiction services; is the State Opioid Treatment Authority; and the agency charged with the responsibility to monitor the use of the opioid settlement funds and ensure that the funds appropriated in the budget are expended for their designated purpose.

To provide OASAS as well as the State Department of Health the support they need to carry out this important work, the Governor's first State Budget included historic investments to support the workforce and provider system and ensure equitable access to life-saving services across the State. Specifically, this year's Budget is helping to expand access to medication through mobile methadone services, which includes adding vehicles and telehealth equipment, and developing harm-reduction services and evidence-based community interventions to engage more individuals in services.

The FY 2023 Enacted Budget invests $184.5 million of Opioid Settlement Funds in initiatives to address the opioid epidemic. These initiatives expand access to treatment services across the State by expanding system capacity and improving pathways for individuals to enter treatment. The Budget would also make critical investments in harm reduction, community-based prevention, and recovery programs.

In addition, the Budget invests $200 million over five years from the Opioid Stewardship Fund, to fight the opioid epidemic using a public health approach. This inter-agency effort will be coordinated by OASAS and Department of Health and focus on harm reduction programs designed to serve individuals at highest risk of overdose, as well as initiatives to help uninsured New Yorkers afford the cost of opioid treatment.

Commissioner Cunningham, under the Governor's leadership, has also significantly ramped up efforts to make federal funding awards available to the provider system. To date, over $78 million in federal Supplemental SAPT Block Grant funds have been made available to support efforts such as strengthening the addiction workforce, stabilizing the provider system, developing a prevention infrastructure, expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder services, enhancing recovery programming, creating transitional housing units, and promoting regional collaborations to provide more comprehensive, patient-centered care.

The State is also in the second year of the second round of State Opioid Response Grants. A total of $56 million has been made available to expand evidence-based prevention services in high-need communities; provide street outreach services to engage those not currently in treatment; support Health Hubs to provide access to an array of primary and behavioral health services; develop public awareness campaigns; and fund Recovery Community Outreach Centers to support individuals in their efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.

The Governor's latest efforts aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic include announcing that the Opioid Settlement Advisory Board has been constituted and the members have been selected and will soon meet to provide recommendations related to how the Opioid Settlement Funds should be allocated.

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.

New Yorkers can learn more about the State Department of Health's latest efforts to combat the opioid effort and review county-level data at the page here. People with questions or requests for additional information should contact opioidprevention@health.ny.gov.

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) is a State agency whose mission is to improve the lives of all New Yorkers by leading a comprehensive premier system of addiction services for prevention, treatment, and recovery. For more information about OASAS please visit https://www.ny.gov/agencies/office-addiction-services-and-supports

The SAFE Glen Cove Coalition is conducting an opioid prevention awareness campaign entitled. “Keeping Glen Cove SAFE,” in order to educate and update the community regarding opioid use and its consequences. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us on www.facebook.com/safeglencovecoalition or visit SAFE’s website to learn more about the Opioid Epidemic at www.safeglencove.org.