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New Grants For Opioid Addiction and Chronic Mental Illnesses

Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services Receives Mental Health Grants from the U.S. Dept. of Health to
Address Opioid Addiction and Chronic Mental Illnesses

In fall 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced millions of dollars in overdose prevention grants as part of President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy, the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy, and the Biden-Harris Unity Agenda to address the opioid and overdose epidemic.

Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services received $3.75 million in funding to be used over five years for Medication-Assisted Treatment Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Programs (MAT). These MAT programs provide resources to help expand and enhance access to Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and to decrease illicit opioid use and prescription opioid misuse.

Catholic Charities also received funding for two Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) in Flatbush and Far Rockaway ($3.99 million over four years for each location). The CCBHC programs are designed to get people into community-based care quickly, which includes providing outpatient mental health and substance use treatment services to all individuals who request care, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age. Treatment is integrated with whole-person wraparound support services, benefit coordination, targeted case management, 24/7 mobile crisis supports, peer services and primary care screening and connection to services.

In New York State, and throughout the country, this model of mental health and substance abuse services have demonstrated reductions in hospital readmissions, behavioral health-related inpatient admissions, and emergency department visits, and increased access to services for individuals with behavioral health conditions of all ages – all while decreasing costs to state Medicaid programs.

“In this time of mental health and substance use crises, we are proud to be among the nationally selected providers that will address overdose prevention and addiction,” said Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. “We are grateful to SAMHSA for their ongoing support of our Behavioral Health Services. Through our comprehensive programs, we are committed to providing the community with much-needed prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery supports – to help save lives.”

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, more than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, an increase of more than 15 percent from 2020.

Catholic Charities offers short-term cost-free behavioral health services treatment at multiple locations for those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Services include counseling, emergency crisis intervention, substance use treatment, medication-assisted treatment, tobacco cessation support, peer support, and many other benefits. For more information and how to access our behavioral health services, click here.