Staten Island facility will provide residential substance use disorder treatment services in community

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS) today announced $1 million in funding to Camelot of Staten Island, Inc. to support a new residential treatment service facility for substance use disorders on Staten Island. The new facility will add 35 new community residential treatment beds to Richmond County.

“From Staten Island to upstate New York, we are working with communities to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to quality substance use disorder treatment,” said NYS OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “This new facility will expand residential and outpatient treatment services in the borough of Staten Island, helping to connect New Yorkers to the resources they need closer to home. Our substance use disorder care system is moving toward a model where all of a person’s treatment needs can be met under one roof. This new facility will be built with this goal in mind.”

Through these funds a new facility at 263 Port Richmond Avenue will offer residential treatment services including: medication-assisted treatment and group and individual therapy. It will be open to anyone in need of residential addiction treatment and recovery services, those from Richmond County as well as those from other parts of the state. Construction on the new facility is targeted to begin in 2017 and the facility is expected to open in 2019. Outpatient services also will be offered at this site.  

This new program will complement Camelot’s recently opened Alayne Kuffner Intensive Residential Treatment Program for Youth on Heberton Avenue on Staten Island, Camelot’s intensive residential program on Staten Island’s Sea View Hospital Campus, and services provided at other treatment providers in the borough.

These additional treatment services are part of a multi-pronged effort to reverse these trends:

• Staten Island heroin admissions for ages 18 – 24 have gone up 336 percent in the last decade. _(OASAS)
• Heroin admissions for all ages have increased by 31 percent statewide between 2005 and 2014. _(OASAS)
• Prescription opioid admissions have risen 41 percent for that same time period. _(OASAS)
• 45 percent of people who used heroin were also addicted to opioid painkillers. _(CDC)

 “I am proud to have helped to secure this critical funding for a new Residential Treatment Program at Camelot so that more Staten Islanders who are struggling with addiction can get the help they need,” said New York State Senator Andrew Lanza. “This program will help to restore residents’ chances of living a productive life by addressing their illness of drug addiction and providing them with education, job training and support services as they phase back in to society.”

 "I would like to commend Governor Cuomo for awarding Camelot with $1 million for their new Community Residential Treatment Program,” said New York State Senator Diane Savino. “This funding will help them to continue the on-job training and other needed services they've been providing for the men here on Staten Island. When individuals are acclimated back into the community, they need all the support they can get and its agencies like Camelot who make that possible."

“Staten Island finds itself at the epicenter of a heroin and opioid abuse crisis that has claimed too many young people and altered the lives of families throughout our borough,” said New York State Assemblyman Michael Cusick. “While policymakers, community groups, and law enforcement agencies address this issue from all angles, treatment specialists on Staten Island continue to do tremendous work in helping individuals overcome addiction. Treatment is vital to fighting the heroin and opioid epidemic. The funding we are announcing today for Camelot of Staten Island will enable them to continue to treat the patients they have, while ensuring they have the capacity to help more people in need that may come to their door. I want to thank Commissioner González-Sánchez and her team at OASAS, as well as Luke Nasta and everyone at Camelot, for their partnership in addressing this crisis. I could not be more proud to have helped make this a reality, and I remain committed to work with these partners to rid our communities of the scourge of drug abuse.”

“Camelot has been at the forefront from the near beginning in the fight against substance abuse, successfully serving communities throughout all of New York City,” said New York State Assemblyman Matthew Titone. “It has finally become abundantly clear what the service providers at Camelot have known all along - Staten Island cannot afford to lose another generation to the horrific disease of addiction. This funding is a much needed component toward battling and overcoming substance abuse on Staten Island and New York City. Kudos to the Office of Alcohol & Substance Abuse Services for taking this critical step.”

Camelot Executive Director Luke J. Nasta said, “On behalf of the residents of Staten Island, Camelot applauds Governor Cuomo’s support of addiction treatment as we experience an ever growing health crisis. This project is the culmination of support by all of Staten Island’s elected officials in addressing the epidemic of deaths caused by overdoses and the ongoing need for treatment services. We thank OASAS Commissioner Arlene González’-Sánchez for her steadfast leadership.”

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the State’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). Treatment providers also can be located on the NYS OASAS Find Help page. Visit www.combatheroin.ny.gov for more information on addressing heroin and prescription opioid abuse, including a Kitchen Table Tool Kit to help start the conversation about the warning signs of addiction and where to get help.