New York Attorney General Letitia James and Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins met with members of the Westchester County Opioid Response and Overdose Prevention Initiative (ORI). The session in White Plains was held to discuss the funding of local organizations in the fight against addiction and overdose deaths.
The county received $5.8 million as a result of a 2019 lawsuit brought by James against several drug distributors and manufacturers. The money was awarded to the county through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Regional Opioid Abatement Funding. 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, “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.”
According to the county’s Mental Health Commissioner Michael Orth, the money is used for programs that reach the public of all ages from adolescents and young adults to adults and seniors. He also said that the county is expanding medication-assisted drug treatment at the County Correction Department.
James praised Jenkins for helping position Westchester as a statewide leader in ensuring that the settlement funds are used in programs that really do help people get their lives back on track.
“The opioid crisis has impacted communities and families throughout every corner of New York state,” James said. “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.”
Funding for use by Westchester organizations and the county running from July 2024 through 2025 includes:
- Treatment
- Lexington Center for Recovery, Inc. – $395,237
- Family Services of Westchester – $330,278
- Westchester Jewish Community Services – $234,988
- John’s Riverside Hospita in Yonkersl – $380,000
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Westchester 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
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- Narcotics Safety Equipment and Analyzers (County Department of Corrections and Probation) – $195,750
