GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO
COMMISSIONER ARLENE GONZÁLEZ-SÁNCHEZ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 30, 2019
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NYS OASAS ANNOUNCES AWARD OF MORE THAN $1.6 MILLION TO EXPAND ADDICTION PREVENTION PROGRAM WITHIN SCHOOLS ACROSS NEW YORK STATE |
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Funding Will Help OASAS Providers Implement Short-term and Lifelong Evidence-Based Prevention Tools to Help Teach Students Self-Regulation Skills The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) today announced an award of more than $1.6 million in funding to help teachers across the state implement the PAX Good Behavior Game Program, an initiative that will equip students with the skills necessary to reduce risk factors associated with drug use and addiction. The awards are fully funded through the State Opioid Response grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “It’s important to raise awareness about substance abuse at an early age, and this funding will expand prevention education and resources in schools across the state,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Co-Chair of the NYS Heroin and Opioid Abuse Task Force. “We are committed in our efforts to prevent and treat addiction and help individuals and their families on the road to recovery. This program continues our investments to combat the opioid epidemic in New York State.” “Teaching our young people the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices helps them avert the perils that can result from substance use,” OASAS Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said. “This invaluable funding will help us continue to advance our overall prevention efforts while also ensuring that we are teaching children the lifelong skills needed to lead drug-free, happy and productive lives.” The PAX Good Behavior Game is an evidence-based practice that provides students with the skills necessary for self-regulation, which has shown to reduce aggression and disruptive behavior – both of which are risk factors for adolescent and adult illicit drug use. PAX has shown to provide numerous short-term and lifetime benefits such as improving classroom performance, mental health outcomes and substance use prevention. Specifically, students in PAX classrooms demonstrate decreased tobacco use, reduced alcohol use, decreased illicit drug use (including opioid abuse), and a lower level of overall service use for substance abuse or psychiatric disorders. Eleven prevention providers will receive up to $165,000 each to work with school districts or individual schools across the state to expand the use of the PAX Good Behavior Game. Funding will help train prevention staff and teachers in grades K-5 in the game, and the prevention providers will partner with schools on implementation and on-going technical assistance. The initiative will be implemented in classrooms for the 2019-2020 school year. A full list of providers who have been awarded funding for this initiative are listed below: Capital District
Central New York
Long Island
Mid-Hudson
Mohawk Valley
New York City
North Country
Southern Tier
Western New York
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). For more information about problem gambling visit https://www.oasas.ny.gov/gambling/index.cfm. Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website. Visit CombatAddiction.ny.gov to learn more about the warning signs of addiction, review information on how to get help, and access resources on how to facilitate conversations with loved ones and communities about addiction. For tools to use in talking to a young person about preventing alcohol or drug use, visit the state’s Talk2Prevent website |
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