Best of Both Worlds: Combining Opioid Services with Outpatient Treatment
The Mosaic, Fall 2023 edition
In May, Samaritan Daytop Village introduced Integrated Opioid Treatment Services at the Suffolk Outpatient Treatment Program on Long Island.
Next year, the agency plans to integrate opioid treatment services at the Staten Island Outpatient Treatment Program.
The funding for these program expansions was made possible by the State of New York, which won more than $2 billion from opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies responsible for the deadly opioid epidemic. The State set up an Opioid Settlement Fund from which grants are being allocated.
With a portion of the newly awarded funds, Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) envisioned a series of “comprehensive integrated outpatient treatment programs” to increase access and enhance current treatment protocols. These programs would allow service providers to offer opioid treatment services, including medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), at outpatient programs.
Speakers at the Suffolk ribbon-cutting ceremony in May included the Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth, Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott, and Suffolk County Police Officer Kristen Goroway, Behavioral Health Unit.
By combining and centralizing these services at one location, clients and providers could enjoy numerous benefits:
- Increased access to both types of services
- Reduced stigma (for receiving prescribed methadone)
- Higher client retention
- A more holistic, effective treatment experience
VP of Outpatient Services Carolann Slattery and VP of Residential and Recovery Services Jim Hollywood provided an in-depth analysis of the integrated services in an article they authored for an industry publication. Slattery and Hollywood explained that clients transitioning from 24/7 residential treatment to the outpatient setting will greatly benefit from an integrated treatment experience.
Look for their article “Enhancing Recovery and Pioneering Hope in the Face of an Opioid Crisis: The Power of Comprehensive Integration of Outpatient and Residential Treatment Programs” in this month’s Fall issue of Behavioral Health News.
Recently, Suffolk Outpatient Treatment program was awarded $1 million for 4 years by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The award will support the substance use, mental health, primary care, and recovery services the program provides children, adolescents, adults, and veterans in Suffolk County. The funding is part of a larger federal initiative to expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) across the country. Suffolk is one of four Samaritan Daytop Village programs to be named a CCBHC. You can read a SAMHSA press release with details about the funding and federal initiative.
To learn more about Samaritan Daytop Village’s non-residential treatment programs, visit the Outpatient Treatment and Medically-Assisted Treatment pages.
To refer someone to Samaritan Daytop Village’s treatment programs, call Admissions Central at 855-322-4357 (HELP) or visit samaritanvillage.org/admissions.