Catholic Charities Receives Over $2M in Funding

MONTICELLO – Governor Andrew Cuomo announced recently that Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan is among the recipients to receive a share of $25.2 million in federal funding awarded to the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), through the Opioid State Targeted Response grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the grant is to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need, and reduce overdose-related deaths in 16 New York State counties identified as having a high need for response to the problem of opioid use disorder.

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 peer services, tele-practice, and mobile treatment services in identified high-need areas of Sullivan and Ulster Counties.

“We are grateful to Governor Cuomo and OASAS 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.”

Through this grant-funded State Targeted Response (STR) program, Catholic Charities of Orange and Sullivan is now an OASAS-designated Center of Treatment Innovation.  As a Center, Catholic Charities will strive to enhance access to treatment and recovery supports in the under-served communities of Sullivan and Ulster Counties utilizing peer supports, clinical services and emerging technology to empower opioid dependent individuals toward recovery.

Services will include assessment and treatment referrals, telehealth and medication assisted treatment, individual, family, and group therapy, peer advocates for recovery support, and case management.

Catholic Charities of Orange and Sullivan is also one of ten agencies throughout New York State to receive $100,000 in funding to deliver evidence-based prevention services for underserved, hard-to-reach youth and other at-risk populations in Sullivan and Ulster Counties. Catholic Charities provides a variety of school, community, and peer-based prevention programs for youth of all ages. Family and community outreach programs, including Narcan training, are also available.

“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. We are so thankful that OASAS recognizes the value of prevention services and provided funding to support those needs,” added Scher.

Sullivan and Ulster County residents struggling with addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling Catholic Charities at 845.794.8080. Information about Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan is also available online at www.cccsos.org.