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NY State Governor Hochul Announces $4.5 Million to Support Addiction Prevention Services in High-Need Communities Across New York State
Awards will Allow Providers to Establish Substance Use Prevention Coalitions in Each Region of New York State Three Provider Funding Recipients Will Have Special Focus on LGBTQIA+ Community $1.8 Million in Funding Also Being Made Available for Additional Coalitions in New York City...
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Today’s Treatment Models Use All the Tools in the Toolbox
Treatment for substance misuse begins before someone walks through the doors of a rehabilitation center asking for help. It starts when a person acknowledges their life is out of control - or controlled by a drug of abuse - and harms themselves and potentially others. Denial, conscious and...
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Recovery, Hope and Resilience During the Pandemic
As one of the largest providers of outpatient mental health services in New York State, New York Psychotherapy and Counseling (NYPCC) works together with tens of thousands of New Yorkers facing mental health challenges. NYPCC embraces a recovery-oriented, trauma-informed model of community mental...
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To End the Drug Crisis, Bring Addiction Out of the Shadows
When I was six years old, as I was having dinner with my mother and three sisters, my mother received a telegram. She broke down crying as she read it. Her father - my grandfather - had died. In her grief, she locked herself in her room and would not let me console her. The memory of my inability...
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Recovery and Inclusion: A Viewpoint in Retrospect
Currently we are faced with a delicate dance, between saving lives and promoting and perpetuating a zombie underclass. Tens of thousands are dying from drug overdose each year. Those who are living in addiction inflict on the society, higher healthcare costs, crime rates and human services costs....
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NY State Governor Hochul Appoints Debbie Pantin, MHNE Chair, and Anne Constantino to NYS Opioid Settlement Board
On March 19th, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, after signing legislation expanding the Opioid Settlement Board from 19 members to 21 members, announced her two appointments to the Board. "As we make our comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must commit to also mitigating the impact...
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Evolution and Innovation in Care
As a newly licensed master social worker, I began my career in a health center of a major New York City hospital system in 2007. Addiction and substance use, mental health, and comprehensive medical care were all provided within the center. Joining The Guidance Center of Westchester (TGCW) 12 years...
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Making Addiction Treatment More Realistic and Pragmatic: The Perfect Should Not Be the Enemy of the Good
Last year saw drug overdose deaths in the U.S. surpass an unthinkable milestone: 100,000 deaths in a year. This is the highest number of drug overdoses in our country’s history, and the numbers are climbing every month. There is an urgent need for a nationwide, coordinated response that...
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Building Community Resilience: Prevention and Recovery Services Working Together
September and October were two of the busiest months of the year here at The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Each September, we observe by celebrating a strong and proud recovery community, promoting and supporting innovative treatment and recovery practices,...
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Technology Revives the Forgotten “Secret Weapon” Addiction Treatment Needs Now
What if I told you that one of the most powerful and evidence-based clinical interventions for substance use disorder was nearly abandoned and forgotten? It’s true. With the opioid epidemic raging, the stimulant epidemic on the rise, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating behavioral health...