Lexington Center for Recovery (LCR), a provider of alcohol and substance abuse treatment, recently introduced a treatment program for adolescent users and their family members at its Airmont Clinic, 100 Route 59.
According to New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, in Rockland County, there are an estimated 2,700 children aged 12 to 17 (about 10 percent of the population) with a chemical dependency problem.
LCR’s Adolescent Substance Abuse Program is geared specifically to youth ages 16 to 19 and their families. Program services include comprehensive assessments; psychiatric evaluations and monitoring; support and treatment for opioid and other chemical dependencies; individual and family counseling; multifamily group and family and friends support; and educational group services.
The program is modeled after the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Brief Strategic Family Therapy evidence-based model for adolescent substance abuse treatment.
“It is our responsibility to educate youth, adolescents and their families about the short- and long-term effects and dangers of alcohol consumption as well as the risks involved in substance use. Recovery is a lifelong process, but with the proper tools, the right information and a supportive recovery environment, we can keep adolescents in our community safe and healthy,” said Dr. Adrienne Marcus, Executive Director of Lexington Center for Recovery.
Rockland County treatment facilities are located in Airmont and Haverstraw. The agency’s Dutchess County clinics are located in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Dover Plains, Millbrook and Rhinebeck. There are additional clinics in Westchester. For additional information, call (914) 666-0191 ex. 1006.
Lexington Center for Recovery has treated more than 50,000 people since its establishment in 1982.
Rockland grant to help with brain efforts
Legislative Chairwoman Harriet Cornell and Rockland County Mental Health Association President Karen Oates jointly announce a $64,000 Community Empowerment Grant has been awarded to The Mental Health Association of Rockland County by the New York State Office for the Aging to promote lifelong mental wellness and cognitive engagement.
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“The Community Empowerment Grant builds on our overall commitment to enhance opportunities for our seniors to have rich and purposeful lives,” said Cornell. “When government works with community partners we boost positive results.”
In January 2008, Cornell announced a major county-wide initiative to explore ways to improve services and quality-of-life opportunities for Rockland”™s growing senior population. Project Tomorrow: Aging in Place has included a series of hearings and community forums to identify areas where legislative initiatives, policy enhancements, and public/private agreements can make Rockland a more elder-friendly community. A major focus of this initiative has been the mental health wellness of the county”™s seniors.
The grant will provide funds to install brain strength and cognition software in libraries, senior centers and other public venues for use by boomers and seniors to increase mental prowess. This project, entitled Strong Brain, Smart Brain, Fit Brain: A Mental Wellness Awareness, Education, and Brain Strengthening Initiative, will further Rockland”™s commitment to provide best-practice services for its community.
Oates said, “This grant promotes Rockland County to the forefront of age-friendly venues because it provides a structure for educating residents to maintain lifelong mental wellness and cognitive engagement helping to support healthy aging.” The Mental Health Association will work with attorney Adriane Berg, a nationally recognized specialist in elder law and cutting edge programs for the aging, to help implement this grant.
The Rockland cutting-edge concept was one of only 15 awarded a grant, out of more than 70 proposals submitted to promote aging in one”™s own backyard.
