Local Organizations Receive $385,000 in State Funds to Combat Opioid Epidemic
Four local organizations will be given money to help tackle the epidemic in the Southern Tier. $385,000 in State funding will go towards heroin and opioid education, counseling, and prevention.
Senator Fred Akshar joined representatives from Lourdes Youth Services, CASA- Trinity, Chenango County Behavioral Health and Addiction Center of Broome County to make the announcement late Friday morning.
The funding includes $175,000 to Lourdes Youth Services for school-based prevention and counseling. The money will go towards a program collaborated across six school districts to reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drugs risks at an early age. Binghamton, BOCES East Learning Center, Chenango Forks, Deposit, Maine-Endwell and Whitney Point are part of the collaborated school districts effort to reduce "at risk" students.
$95,000 in state funding will go to CASA- Trinity for school based prevention and counseling. The money will also be used for a heroin and opioid awareness campaign.
Chenango County Behavioral Health will receive $70,000 for ALL-STARS Prevention and Education Curriculum, which will target middle school students.
The Addiction Center of Broome County will be getting security upgrades, and expansion of its kitchen, and ambulatory detox with the $25,000 in state funding. Executive Director of the Addiction Center of Broome County, Carmela Pirich, says the $25,000 funds will help immensely. However, it won't fix all of the future problems they may have.
"If our consensus continues to grow, I'm not sure how I can fit more staff and have enough room for our clients. We may need to look at another location, or perhaps a second location. It's just making sure that we have enough space right now is a huge thing," said Pirich.
Pirich says the renovations to the kitchen will make a large impact on newcomers seeking treatment and help them feel more comfortable in a healing atmosphere.
New programs are set to start in the beginning of 2018.