At an event in Rochester on Tuesday celebrating the opening of an $8.4 million outpatient addiction treatment center, Cuomo announced $4.5 million in funding was being made available to develop nine Open Access Centers across the state, and a Request for Information has been released that seeks input on the development of two pilot recovery high schools.
The Open Access Centers would be open 24 hours a day to deliver immediate engagement, assessment and referral services to people suffering from substance use disorders. One would be open in each region of the state, with the exception of Central New York, where Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare already developed a treatment center.
According to Cuomo, the pilot recovery high schools would offer “an alternate, multi-service high school program at a safe, sober and supportive environment for high school students dealing with addiction." Treatment and recovery services would be incorporated into the everyday school environment as part of the students’ educational programming.
"With these latest efforts and the opening of a new outpatient center in Rochester, New York continues to break down barriers for residents in need of treatment and recovery services," Cuomo stated. "We will continue the fight to break this vicious cycle of addiction and make critical funding available in order to support a stronger, healthier New York for all.”
"As co-chair of the NYS Heroin and Opioid Task Force, I have heard from families all across New York who have felt the impact of this deadly addiction," Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul added. "This administration is taking aggressive actions to combat addiction, provide resources, and support the vital recovery of our families and communities. Open access centers will secure the supportive environments that our communities need and provide families with a place to turn in times of crisis."
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