The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has awarded up to $10.49 million to the Citywide Addiction Support Network (CASN) to expand services to reduce opioid and stimulant use in historically underserved Bronx, Manhattan and Queens communities. Starting next spring, CASN will ensure 24/7 access to medications for opioid use disorder provided by New York City (NYC) Health + Hospitals and Samaritan Daytop Village (SDV) through borough-based initiatives in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens that support prevention of, treatment for and recovery from opioid and stimulant use. CASN will serve the new Bronx Support and Connection Center—a project of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health and NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene—while The Fortune Society of Queens will expand its treatment services for justice-involved New Yorkers. Prevention services will grow significantly in all three boroughs as local agencies engage youth, children and their families in low-income communities heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and remote schooling. Seventy-eight community residents in recovery from substance use—Certified Peer Recovery Advocates and trainees—will help New Yorkers find the services they need, engage in care and support them through recovery.
Mitchell Netburn, SDV President and CEO said, “CASN will build a strong peer workforce. These individuals who have recovered from addiction and come from NYC communities heavily impacted by the substance use and the COVID-19 epidemics are vitally needed to improve access to and engagement with services.”
CASN is a newly formed network of 21 NYC non-profit and community-based behavioral health service provider agencies and the NYC Health + Hospitals system offering comprehensive outpatient, inpatient and emergency addiction treatment, recovery and prevention services throughout NYC. The award is funded through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s State Opioid Response (SOR) program.
NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Mitchell Katz, M.D. said, “Through this new funding, coupled with this innovative collaboration between our health system and non-profit agencies, we can reduce the need for emergency and inpatient services. I am also proud to enhance treatment services to NYC’s LGBTQ+ members who use our Pride Centers.”
SDV served as the lead applicant and is represented on the Leadership Management Team, with Educational Alliance and Argus Community. CASN operations will be facilitated by the Coordinated Behavioral Care (CBC) Independent Practice Association (IPA), in collaboration with the EngageWell and Cogency IPAs. The three IPAs provide network infrastructure to foster multi-agency behavioral networks that can tackle complex healthcare challenges.
Jorge Petit, M.D., President and CEO of Coordinated Behavioral Care said “With this funding, we can provide 24/7 access to addiction treatment and strengthen peer services that have proven vital to engagement in treatment and achieving recovery goals. CBC is proud to support this network to offer critical services that can transform the lives of New Yorkers with addiction issues.”
Jorge R. Petit, MD
President and CEO
Coordinated Behavioral Care
CASN will furthermore assemble external stakeholders ranging from community leaders to the City’s justice, homeless services, child welfare, education and other systems on an Advisory Committee that will inform Network activities and services.
OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said, “The damaging effects of addiction continue to persist in communities across our State and this funding will help to ensure that we are strengthening the capacities of our prevention, treatment and recovery provider networks to expand access to comprehensive and life-saving services for individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future.”
The 21 CASN agencies and NYC Health + Hospitals have created and worked together in various groupings in recent years to launch innovative NYC behavioral health initiatives. Network providers include ACI, Alliance for Positive Change, Argus Community, Children’s Aid, CSEDNY, Educational Alliance, Fortune Society, Greenwich House, Hamilton-Madison House, Housing Works, Lower Eastside Service Center, Mental Health Providers of Western Queens, Mosaic Mental Health, Network for Human Understanding, New Horizon Counseling Center, Reality House, Samaritan Daytop Village, Services for the UnderServed, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Tri Center and Upper Manhattan Mental Health’s Bowen Center.
Valerie Walters and Christopher Joseph, who respectively lead the Cogency and EngageWell IPAs said, “This project will save lives and promote healthier communities. New Yorkers involved with the justice system will have an open front door to treatment, recovery and help with social determinants of health.”
The CASN participating organizations acknowledge the support of New York State and Federal Government leaders in tackling the opioid and stimulant use crisis. This initiative is especially important as NYC recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information contact Jorge R. Petit, MD, at jpetit@cbcare.org or (917) 972-3344.
