Westchester County Departmentof Community Mental Health

In February of 2022, in response to the rise of overdose deaths across Westchester County, Executive George Latimer launched the Opioid Response and Overdose Prevention Initiative (ORI). ORI brought together the Departments of Community Mental Health, Social Services, Public Safety, Health, Corrections, Probation, Youth Bureau, the Medical Examiner’s office, and the District Attorney’s Office to address the issue.

The ORI committee meets regularly to:

• Execute effective harm reduction strategies such as the distribution of Naloxone or “Narcan,” a vital tool for preventing fatalities in people at high risk for drug overdoses.
• Conduct more thorough data collection, analysis, and transparency relating to overdoses.
• Increase community prevention, education, outreach, and support services.
• Increase access to addiction, mental health, and co-occurring treatment, harm reduction, and family support services, including substance use prevention services.
• Identify and implement evidence-based treatment approaches for individuals with addiction who are also struggling with co-occurring mental health needs.

As a result of a 2019 suit brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against several drug distributors and manufacturers across the state, a total of $5.8 million dollars was awarded to the County through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS) Regional Opioid Abatement Funding to address overdose deaths in Westchester.

2023-24 Allocations:

Treatment
Proposals for treatment programming may include startup funding for licensed clinical programs or supportive funding for existing treatment programs. Priority areas include enhancing providers’ ability to provide co-occurring treatment and improving access to care for adolescents, young adults, adults, and seniors. All proposals should emphasize trauma-informed, culturally responsive, person/family-centered, and recovery-oriented approaches to service delivery. Proposals may focus on engagement and non-traditional service delivery modalities (such as mobile services and community-based interventions).

• Lexington Center for Recovery, Inc. - $395,237
• Family Services of Westchester - $330,278
• Westchester Jewish Community Services - $234,988
• St. John’s Riverside Hospital - $380,000
• Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) County Corrections - $1,268,280

Prevention
Proposals focused on prevention should aim to enhance protective factors (e.g., positive self-esteem, strong social supports, etc.) and reduce risk factors. Examples of prevention programs include interventions that build education and awareness, as well as those that promote emotional health and pro-social skills. Programs must be responsive to the needs of our local communities and tailored to address risks specific to populations such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Community prevention programs that use a multi-pronged approach are more effective than single stand-alone programs. Additionally, long-term programs with repeated interventions are more effective than one-time interventions. Prevention strategies can be designed to intervene as early as pre-school to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and other risk factors, such as behavior, social, and academic concerns. Proposals that include family-based prevention strategies should enhance family connection and include parent empowerment and support.

• Partnership to End Addiction - $600,000

Recovery 
Recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.

• Family Services of Westchester - $176,434

Harm Reduction
An approach that emphasizes engaging directly with people who use substances to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission, improve physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance misuse, mental health, co-occurring, and other health care services.

• Urban League of Westchester County, Inc. - $249,458
• Cornerstone Family Healthcare - $173,416

Training

• Lives Forward, Westchester County’s new initiative for Peer Certification Workforce Enhancement - $115,000

Safety/Equipment

• Narcotics Safety Equipment and Analyzers (Department of Corrections and Probation) - $195,750