Catholic Charities to receive $2 million to fight opioid addiction

GOSHEN — Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan will receive $2 million in federal funding granted to fight opioid addiction.
The goal of the grant is to increase access to treatment and reduce overdose deaths in 16 New York counties identified as having a high need. It will be used for services in high-need areas of Sullivan and Ulster counties, including assessment and treatment referrals, medication assisted treatment, peer advocates for recovery support, mobile treatment, case management, and individual, family, and group therapy, .
Orange County has the highest rate of heroin overdose deaths, 12.5 deaths for every 100,000 people, according to a June 2016 report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The county's death rates topped the charts for both heroin and prescription opioid overdoses.
“We are grateful to Governor Cuomo and NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez for making it a New York State priority to address the growing opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Dean Scher, CEO, Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan. “These much-needed funds will allow us to expand and enhance access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services in those hard to reach communities where the need is high. People are dying and that needs to stop.”
The local Catholic Charities grant is part of $25.2 million in federal funding to be shared by other New York counties.
In his announcement of the funding, Governor Cuomo said, "Opioid addiction devastates the lives of afflicted New Yorkers and their families, and it is critical that we continue to fight against this epidemic. With this funding, we can offer expanded services and offer support to New Yorkers dealing with substance abuse, putting them on the road to recovery and helping to build a stronger, healthier Empire State for all." 
Of the funding that will be distributed among agencies in the 16 counties, $2 million is earmarked for Catholic Charities of Orange and Sullivan to increase access to treatment through initiatives including expanded.
 “Tragically, it is our young people that are most at risk for succumbing to the lure of opioids,” said Dr. Scher. “That’s why prevention is critically important. We must provide our children with the tools and coping methods necessary to address the many pressures they face on a daily basis."
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