[NYAPRS Enews] Governor Paterson Creates Action Initiative To Address Addiction

[Harvey Rosenthal]

Governor Paterson Creates Action Initiative To Address Addiction
State Agencies, Non-Profits And The Private Sector To Collaborate In
Prevention, Treatment And Recovery Strategies
Initiative Expands Upon Recent Reform Of The Rockefeller Drug Laws

Governor David A. Paterson today announced the creation of the
Addictions Collaborative to Improve Outcomes for New York (ACTION)
initiative to address alcohol, drug and gambling addictions that affect
nearly 2.5 million New Yorkers. The Governor issued Executive Order No.
16 to direct the partnership of 20 State agencies with non-profits and
the private sector and coordinate addiction resources in the areas of
public health, safety, welfare and education. The Governor made the
announcement at the re-opening ceremony of Reality House, Inc., a
substance abuse and HIV treatment facility in Queens. 

"The effects of addiction are devastating, not only for individuals with
addictions and their families, but for society as a whole," Governor
Paterson said. "The ACTION initiative represents a new way to look at
how addiction impacts various public systems and will focus the
collective efforts and resources of those systems on developing a
comprehensive approach toward addressing this pervasive problem."

The ACTION initiative will be chaired by Deputy Secretary for Health and
Human Services Joseph Baker and will be coordinated by the New York
State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). The
ACTION Council will include commissioners from the 20 participating
State agencies and collaborate with non-governmental stakeholders,
community-based organizations, addiction treatment providers, academic
institutions and businesses. The Council will focus on organizing
various resources to better develop strategies that improve efforts to
identify, treat and prevent addiction. 

In addition, the ACTION Council will build upon the recently enacted
landmark Rockefeller Drug Law reforms, which emphasize treatment over
incarceration for non-violent drug offenders. The new legislation
eliminates mandatory minimum prison sentences and allows judges to
divert drug abusers to treatment instead of prison. To ensure the
success of Rockefeller drug reform, the Governor and the Legislature
have agreed to invest in drug treatment programs and to expand the
number of specialized drug courts. The Council will consult with the
National Association of Drug Court Professionals and other judges,
prosecutors and defense attorneys who work in drug courts and will help
assess whether treatment programs for diverted offenders are
sufficiently available and effective. 

OASAS Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo said: "One in seven New
Yorkers is dealing with a drug, alcohol or gambling problem. The ACTION
initiative will help better coordinate State practices by using
science-based approaches to treat addiction, reduce inefficiencies and
increase positive outcomes. By working together, we can devise
strategies to treat the entire range of problems, not just the
addiction."

Addiction has a significant impact on public safety, health, welfare and
education. For example:
80 percent of New York State parolees and probationers have had a
substance abuse problem.
More than half of all prison inmates were under the influence of alcohol
or drugs when they were arrested.
In 2006, 27 percent of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in New York
were alcohol-related.
In fiscal year 2006, $1.6 billion in New York State Medicaid
expenditures for recipients of chemical dependence services were for
other services, including general medical care, mental health,
developmental disabilities and long-term care.
Roughly 35 percent of the substance abuse population has a diagnosed
mental illness.
74 percent of adjudicated youth placed in the custody of New York State
Office of Children and Families Services require substance abuse
services.
Alcohol or substance abuse was a risk factor in nearly 50 percent of
child protective cases in 2007.
More than half of students in high schools and 20 percent in middle
schools report attending schools where drugs are used, kept or sold.


State agencies whose commissioners have pledged their support in
addition to OASAS include the: Office of Mental Health; Department of
Health; Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities;
Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance; Division of Criminal
Justice Services; Department of Correctional Services; Division of
Parole; Office of Children and Family Services; Council on Children and
Family Services; Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives;
Department of Motor Vehicles; State Education Department; State
University of New York; Office for the Aging; Division of Veterans'
Affairs; Division of State Police; State Liquor Authority; the Office
for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; and the Office of Court
Administration. Other agency commissioners and their staffs will be
invited to participate as necessary. 

Addiction is a chronic disease. Individuals can get help by calling the
toll-free HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information, visit www.oasas.state.ny.us. 

OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest addiction services systems
dedicated to prevention, treatment and recovery, with more than 1,550
programs serving over 110,000 New Yorkers each day. Their efforts are
part of a recovery movement that fights addiction stigmas and promotes
health and wellness. 

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