Addiction Services and Supports, Office of

Agency Web Site: https://www.oasas.ny.gov/

Mission

The mission of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) is to improve the lives of all New Yorkers by leading a comprehensive, premier system of addiction services for prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Organization and Staffing

OASAS is responsible for planning, developing and regulating the State's system of substance use disorder (SUD) and gambling treatment and prevention programs. The agency has a Central Office in Albany, and directly operates 12 Addiction Treatment Centers (ATCs). OASAS also certifies, funds and supervises over 1,700 local government and community-based programs. The overall workforce is projected to increase by 31 FTEs to a total of 768 FTEs.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2023 Executive Budget provides $1.5 billion in All Funds appropriations, a net increase of $542.6 million from FY 2022, attributable to the Human Services Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), minimum wage increases, healthcare and mental hygiene worker bonuses, continued community-based service development, and additional appropriation authority for the Opioid Stewardship Fund, the Opioid Settlement Fund and potential federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant funding.

The Executive Budget provides operating and capital support for OASAS to enhance prevention, treatment and recovery programs targeted toward addiction services, residential service opportunities, and primary prevention activities consistent with state opioid settlement agreements; and invests more than $100 million in new resources from the Opioid Stewardship Tax and litigation settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. The Budget increases New York State's commitment to critical initiatives, including:

• Expand Mobile Treatment Services for Opioid Addiction. The Budget will expand access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) by investing in mobile methadone services, including additional mobile treatment vehicles and telehealth equipment, to provide increased access to these life-saving services.

• Combat the Opioid Epidemic Using a Public Health Approach. OASAS will collaborate with the Department of Health (DOH) to enhance harm-reduction services, health monitoring, and evidence-based community interventions to fight the opioid epidemic. The State’s efforts will be bolstered by the creation of a Division of Harm Reduction within OASAS.

• Opioid Stewardship Investments. The Opioid Stewardship Act, which imposed the nation’s first monetary charges on opioid distributors and manufacturers, withstood a legal challenge and a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the State’s favor will allow New York to collect monies owed retroactive to 2017 and 2018. The Budget appropriates $200M to invest these funds in new initiatives to combat the opioid crisis. This includes harm reduction initiatives by both OASAS and DOH, expanding access to naloxone, creating a public awareness campaign, and implementing a program to help uninsured and underinsured individuals receive treatment and medication. Separately and consistent with statewide opioid settlement agreements, the Budget appropriates and allocates monies which are anticipated to be deposited to the Opioid Settlement Fund as the result of litigation filed by the State against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

• Establish Certification for Recovery Residences. The Budget will create a voluntary certification process for recovery-supportive housing to help ensure that safe housing is available for individuals who have completed their substance use disorder treatment. This certification would incorporate inspection, record keeping and operational standards for recovery homes; increase the availability of recovery housing units; and ensure a high quality of housing and services.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Mental Hygiene (PDF)

Program Highlights

New York State has one of the nation's largest addiction services systems. OASAS offers a wide range of services, which fall into the following three main categories:

• Prevention: Prevention services seek to prevent substance use and abuse and compulsive gambling in individuals, families and communities. Prevention services include education, environmental strategies, community capacity building, positive alternatives, and information dissemination. These services are delivered by a network of providers in a variety of settings, including schools and community-based organizations;

• Treatment: Treatment programs consist of various clinically appropriate services, including crisis, residential, outpatient and opioid treatment programs (OTPs), for individuals with problem gambling or SUDs. Treatment includes individual and group counseling, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), educational services, case management, vocational assessment, and training for job skills, employment readiness, parenting, personal, and social and community living skills; and

• Recovery: Recovery programs assist individuals in recovery with emotional, informational, and social support services to help initiate and sustain recovery from SUDs, as well as provide support to family members. Services are provided through Recovery Community and Outreach Centers, Youth Clubhouses, and Permanent Supportive Housing.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 05/11/2020