County Executive Ken Jenkins and Attorney General Letitia James Meet to Discuss Opioid Overdose Prevention in Westchester
As a result of a 2019 lawsuit brought by James against several drug distributors and manufacturers, 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. The meeting was an opportunity to hear from advocates and providers who received grants from those funds to provide treatment, prevention, recover, harm reduction and training programs.
\Jenkins said: “I want to thank Attorney General James for her leadership and for coming to Westchester County to learn more about the important work being done here. Westchester has made tremendous efforts to put this money to work in multiple ways to ensure that we are reaching the most people in need. It has been a great alliance between our County and local partners to collaborate to find solutions and maximize the impact that this funding allows.”
James said: “The opioid crisis has impacted communities, and families, throughout every corner of New York state. I am proud of the work my office has done to secure major settlements, and more than $3 billion for New York, from opioid manufacturers and distributors. I applaud County Executive Jenkins for working diligently so that Westchester is a statewide leader in ensuring these settlement funds make it to innovative advocacy and support programs, and to people who rely on them to get their lives back on track. My office will continue to hold the perpetrators of the opioid epidemic accountable, and to ensure settlement funds are used to help New York overcome this crisis.”
Department of Community Mental Health Commissioner Michael Orth said: “Westchester has been at the forefront of finding ways to use these settlement funds to reach every community in our county. We are expanding Medication-Assisted Treatment at our County Correction Department and have created new programs to educate and train a new Peer workforce in our Lives Forward program. Money is used to reach all ages; from adolescents and young adults to adults and seniors. The Fentanyl and opioid epidemic reaches everyone in our society. Westchester is a leader in our approach to Co-Occurring Disorder and our programs are becoming models across the country. You cannot treat substance misuse without treating mental health. Our programs are working to meet that need.”
Funds were allocated for an 18-month period (7/23 to 12/24) and a second round to run for 2025 including:
Treatment
Lexington Center for Recovery, Inc. – $395,237
Family Services of Westchester – $330,278
Westchester Jewish Community Services – $234,988
John’s Riverside Hospital – $380,000
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) County Corrections – $1,268,280
Prevention
Partnership to End Addiction – $600,000
Recovery
Family Services of Westchester – $176,434
Harm Reduction
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