Senator Helming Highlights Funding To Help FLACRA Fight Epidemic

Senator Pamela A. Helming (R,C,I-Canandaigua) is pleased to learn that the Finger Lakes Area Counseling and Recovery Agency, based in Clifton Springs in Ontario County, received $1.4 million in federal funding as part of an overall effort to support New York State’s fight against the nationwide opioid epidemic. Ontario County is among the 16 counties that were designated as having high needs based on their per capita numbers of opioid overdose deaths and opioid-related hospitalizations, as well as residents leaving the county to access treatment services.

These counties obtained the bulk of a total of $25.2 million awarded to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services 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 funding is to increase access to treatment and reduce overdose-related deaths through initiatives such as expanded peer services, tele-practice, mobile treatment services, and medication-assisted treatment.

“It is critical that our communities receive the resources they need to battle the heroin and opioid epidemic. This much-needed assistance will help address a scourge that has devastated our region and local families. OASAS asked for funding from the federal government specifically to target Ontario County and these 15 other high-need areas. This is an important step forward in the fight against addiction. Ontario County and FLACRA will put this funding to work in our local community battling the heroin and opioid crises,” Senator Helming said.

As well as Ontario County and Yates County, which ranked second among the 16 counties in terms of per capita deaths and hospitalizations due to opioids, FLACRA includes Wayne, Seneca, and Schuyler counties among its primary service area. The agency will use the $1.4 million specifically in Ontario and Yates counties to expand mobile treatment van service, medication-assisted therapies, telemedicine and jail service programs, and its team of peer specialists who go out in the community to assist individuals during their times of crisis.

“As we know, these counties have been crushed by deaths due to opioid overdoses over the last year. While FLACRA has of course been treating opioid-dependent individuals for years, these additional resources will allow for extensive outreach that we have been limited in providing. As FLACRA’s tag line reflects, ‘Together We Will’ succeed in combating this opioid crisis, saving lives, and making a difference for hundreds of individuals and families in Ontario and Yates counties,” said Martin Teller, FLACRA’s Executive Director.

Ontario County and the other high-need counties will also share an additional $1.8 million to fund services such as training providers in medication-assisted treatment, transitional treatment for people re-entering the community from county jails and state correctional facilities, and naloxone training and purchasing.

“It is important to note that these high-needs counties were ranked on their per capita deaths and hospitalizations, which means that less-populated, rural, upstate communities were able to get their fair share of this funding. This is great news, as it signals that the state and federal governments know that the heroin and opioid epidemic is hurting our upstate areas as much as it is our downstate areas. As State Senator, I will continue to work with FLACRA and local law enforcement to make sure our communities have the tools they need to fight this devastating crisis,” Senator Helming said.

Senator Helming represents the 54^th Senate District, which consists of Seneca and Wayne Counties, parts of Cayuga and Ontario Counties, and the towns of Lansing and Webster. For more information, please visit Senator Helming’s website, or follow @SenatorHelming on Facebook or Twitter.

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