“This opioid crisis devastates families and entire communities and we must do everything in our power to fight back.”
By Lisa Finn, Patch Staff | Sep 6, 2018 1:39 pm ET | Updated Sep 6, 2018 9:35 pm ET

LONG ISLAND, NY — As the war on opioid addiction rages on, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $25.2 million in federal funding to combat the crisis.

Administered through the Opioid State Targeted Response Grant, the funding will expand critical initiatives to combat the opioid war.

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, Cuomo said.

“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,” 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.”

Locally on Long Island, in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Family Service League will receive $1,246,990 and Central Nassau Guidance will receive $1,250,000.

Funding for the Opioid State Targeted Response Grant is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. New counties to receive funding this year 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.

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.

The state targeted response initiative also includes funding for programs beyond the high-need counties, for delivery of evidence-based prevention services to underserved, hard to reach youth and other at-risk populations, with $1,114,714 allocated; delivery of the Strengthening Families Program to families in New York City shelters and permanent supportive housing receiving $650,000; delivery of a targeted media campaign to residents, with a focus on tribal territories and Latino communities receiving $913,173; training of first responders and other likely witnesses to recognize and respond to overdoses, and provide access to naloxone receiving $401,237; enhanced opioid use disorder services at 11 existing NYSDOH AIDS Institute Health Hubs, and addition of a new hub on Long Island receiving $3,015,748; implementation of a new recovery center/youth clubhouse for a Native American community awarded $294,290, and creation and support of statewide youth and young adult driven infrastructure to support local communities of young people in recovery receiving $589,325, Cuomo said.

In addition, this year’s grant funding will continue initiatives introduced in the first year, including the expansion of mobile treatment, telepractice capabilities, peer services, and medication assisted treatment.