UTICA, NY – Addiction services providers in the region will soon receive a much-needed boost of funding to support their critical work in
addressing the opioid epidemic, thanks to a $1.48 million grant from the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). The
Mohawk Valley Behavioral Health Care Collaborative and the South Central Behavioral Health Care Collaborative, soon to be one merged
organization, will use this funding to strengthen their prevention, treatment, and recovery care services throughout 11 counties: Broome,
Cortland, Chenango, Delaware, Fulton, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Otsego, Schoharie, and Tompkins. In particular, this grant will help
local agencies Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council of Delaware County; Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council of HFM; Beacon Center; Catholic
Charities of Herkimer County; Delaware County Department of Mental Health; Family & Children’s Counseling Services; Friends of Recovery of
Delaware and Otsego (FOR-DO); Leatherstocking Education on Alcoholism and Addictions Foundation, Inc. (LEAF, Inc.); and Otsego County
Community Services provide services to our neighbors in need.
“We strongly believe that regionally integrated addiction services will result in increased access to services, higher levels of care coordination,
and better care for our area’s residents,” said Kelly Lane, Director of the Mohawk Valley Behavioral Health Care Collaborative. “This significant
grant will allow clinical and other community-based organizations to work together, using technology and a coordinated approach across the
continuum of care for our clients.”
This initiative will focus on the following areas:
Prevention
Address gaps in prevention services by helping families improve communication, decrease conflict and learn how to deal with issues of
substance abuse. Prevention activities will also target employment settings by promoting workplace wellness and efforts to reduce
substance misuse among the workforce.
Treatment
Provide evidence-based treatment using the Pathways Hub model and a new web-based referral system that supports care
management by creating formal links between treatment providers and other community-based organizations.
Recovery
Provide infrastructure for a broader peer-support approach that helps justice-system-involved individuals and others return to the
workforce.
The two collaborating organizations have convened a leadership team with specialists from a variety of service provider organizations
throughout the region, including clinical and non-clinical community-based organizations. This assures that an integrated approach to addiction
services will also address social determinants of health, including food and housing insecurities, access to health insurance, access to childcare,
and employment services.
The Collaborative uses cross-systems partnerships to ensure individuals in its service area have access to well-coordinated, high quality,
community-based mental health and substance abuse services and supports, prevention, and other critical services. Using a data-driven and
patient-centered approach, the Collaborative reduces healthcare costs and improves the quality of care for all. For more information, visit
mvbhcc.com.
For more information about New York State OASAS, visit oasas.ny.gov/about.
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