The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS) today awarded $1 million in funding to support 25 new treatment beds to provide care for New Yorkers with substance use disorders. The funding was awarded to Tompkins County addiction treatment services provider Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services for the creation of a new 25-bed adult residential treatment facility. The residential treatment facility, in Trumansburg, will offer a full spectrum of addiction treatment services to residents including counseling, life-skills training and after-discharge support. These services will be delivered at a new building on the Trumansburg treatment provider’s campus, bringing jobs and economic and community benefits to the region, and is aligned with Southern Tier Soaring – the region’s comprehensive blueprint for economic growth.

“At our recent Heroin and Prescription Opioid Task Force forums across the state, many New Yorkers called for more addiction treatment services,” said New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez. “These new treatment beds in the Southern Tier are a critical addition to our efforts to stop this epidemic and to ensure that New Yorkers in need of addiction treatment have services. Every New Yorker suffering from addiction should be afforded an opportunity to engage in treatment so that they can get their lives back on the right path. Today, we give more New Yorkers that opportunity and are another step closer to a stronger, healthier New York.”

The funding was made available through a request for proposal administered by NYS OASAS. Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services will receive annual operational costs of up to $1 million once the program is opened. OASAS will work with Cayuga to provide capital funding for construction needs at the treatment space, if needed.

State Senator Tom O'Mara said, "We know that treatment and recovery services are cornerstones of this ongoing battle against heroin and opioid addiction. These new residential treatment beds are critical. I commend and I look forward to continue working with Governor Cuomo and his administration, Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services, my colleagues on the Senate Majority Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction and all of the local leaders, law enforcement and concerned citizens doing our best to strengthen the state-local-federal partnership that's needed to effectively combat heroin." 

"At a time when so many New Yorkers are suffering from the ravages of substance addiction, this treatment facility promises to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives,” Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton said. “The critical investment behind this facility is especially welcome now, when we are seeing such an alarming rise of heroin and opioid addiction across our state. For too long we have treated drug addiction as a criminal problem, when the wiser approach is to treat it as the public health problem it really is. By combining life-skills with counseling, the full spectrum services offered by this state-of-the art facility will allow addiction sufferers to recover with dignity and compassion. I am very proud to have supported the funding for this treatment facility in the state budget, and I will continue to fight for additional resources as we work to halt this terrible crisis that has impacted so many in our state."

This new 25-bed program is part of the Governor’s ongoing efforts to address the heroin and opioid public health crisis. These new beds will help fulfill the Governor’s commitment to add 270 treatment beds and 2,335 opioid treatment program slots across the state to help New Yorkers suffering from substance use disorder and to expand vital treatment and recovery resources. 

After listening to recommendations from New Yorkers across the State through his Heroin and Opioid Task Force, on June 22 Governor Cuomo signed a comprehensive legislative package into law to further combat addiction in New York State. The package includes significant changes to insurance laws and regulations to ensure broader coverage of substance use disorder treatment and improve access to addiction treatment. The legislation also places limits on opioid prescriptions for acute pain; increases evaluation for individuals incapacitated by drugs from 48 to 72 hours; requires training to improve connections to substance use disorder care upon hospital discharge; requires ongoing education about addiction and pain management for physicians and prescribers; and mandates pharmacists to provide information about risks of substance use disorder to clients, among other efforts.

In addition, under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, NYS OASAS continues to strengthen statewide public awareness efforts to improve the understanding of the disease of addiction and point New Yorkers to resources where they can get help.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). New Yorkers can find an OASAS-certified substance use disorder treatment provider any time by using the OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard. For help with accessing care and insurance coverage, visit the Access Treatment page on the OASAS website.

To find a naloxone overdose reversal medication training near you, visit the OASAS opioid overdose prevention trainings 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. For additional tools to use in talking to young people about preventing underage drinking or drug use, visit the State’s Talk2Prevent website.