New Recovery Center Opens In Westhampton Beach

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — A new day dawned in the battle against addiction on the East End Monday as a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the brand-new THRIVE Recovery Center in Westhampton Beach.

The new facility, located on Mill Road, offers ongoing programs "to help individuals and families find, maintain, and strengthen their recovery in a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere free of charge," the Family & Children's Association, which opened the new center, said. Staff and volunteers will provide peer-based support, resources and referral services; interactive educational programs that promote wellness, economic prosperity and civic engagement; and a safe, welcoming haven for substance-free recreational and social activities, FCA said.

“It is profoundly gratifying to be able to offer the residents of Long Island’s East End critical and life-saving recovery programs through THRIVE,” said Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of FCA. “For years, recovery community leaders fought for a recovery center on Long Island and five years ago a dedicated team working with FCA made that happen in Hauppauge. Three years later, we opened a Westbury location."

With more than 10,000 people served to date and funding from NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports, FCA is now able to open the third THRIVE Recovery Center, Reynolds said.

"The need is real, as is the effectiveness of recovery programs, both along the road to recovery from substance use disorder and in the long term," he said.

Joining Dr. Reynolds at the ribbon cutting were FCA managers; THRIVE staff and volunteers; Kristen Hanyo, board president; Human Understanding & Growth Services, or HUGS; representatives of OASAS, veteran journalist Drew Scott, who lost his beloved granddaughter Hallie Rae Ulrich to an overdose; THRIVE members and their families, local and county government officials, and other representatives from the local community.

“We help folks who have found a path to recovery maintain that recovery, build their skills and strengthen their wellness," Reynolds said. "This is how we work together to end epidemics.”

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, who, along with Scott, first co-chaired the Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force — now renamed the Addiction & Recovery Behavior Health Committee — also spoke.

"I don't know the answer for addiction," he said. " I know this is part of the answer, certainly."

Schneiderman added: "This has been a dream, to have a recovery center on eastern Long Island." The concept was a recommendation of the task force, he said. "This was at the top of the list," Schneiderman said. The task force was formed in the face of an escalating opioid crisis, Schneiderman said, with 19 people dying of overdoses across Southampton Town in one year.

"I didn't know what the answer was," Schneiderman said. "I turned to Drew and said, "We have to figure this out.' We couldn't endure what was happening in our community — these beautiful lives were being extinguished. I knew part of the answer was in community."

The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to those battling addiction, the supervisor said. "We're social beings. Isolation is hard for us. You can't go through this alone. You need support. You need that hug. You need that emotional support, a place to go where you're with people who get it, who've got your back."

Scott agreed: "I believe this is so important for Long Island’s East End because insurance — if a client has it— allows only a month to gain sobriety. The Thrive center will be open year round to serve as a place for counseling, recreation, encouragement, a place where they can be safe and get a chance to give a helping hand to newcomers who are just beginning their recovery journey," he said. "It’s a promise that the original Southampton Town task force made four years ago, to open a safe haven for people in recovery. If my granddaughter Hallie Rae had a place like this Thrive Center in 2017, I believe she would be alive today.”

Westhampton Beach Village Mayor Maria Moore added: "We welcome THRIVE to Westhampton Beach and appreciate the support they will provide for the families in our community who are in need their services."

Kym Laube, executive director of HUGS, also reflected on the opening: "Although the East End is one of the most beautiful and places to live, it can be equally as threatening to someone in recovery from substances," she said. "The Hamptons' party atmosphere and the North Fork's wine country can be a social minefield of sorts to those navigating life in recovery on a daily basis. A recovery center will offer some additional support to those as they find a new way of life without substances; it will also provide positive social alternatives to those wanted to still enjoy the world in a healthy way."