Addiction-treatment center opens in Auburn

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) on Sept. 14 opened a new opioid-treatment program at 13 Chapel St. in Auburn. Oswego–based Farnham Family Services is operating the program. (PHOTO CREDIT: NYOASAS FACEBOOK PAGE)

AUBURN, N.Y. — Oswego–based Farnham Family Services is operating a new opioid-treatment program (OTP) in Auburn.  The program provides a wide range of services for individuals impacted by addiction, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) said in a Sept. 14 announcement.  The services include medical assessments, medication for addiction including […]

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AUBURN, N.Y. — Oswego–based Farnham Family Services is operating a new opioid-treatment program (OTP) in Auburn. 

The program provides a wide range of services for individuals impacted by addiction, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) said in a Sept. 14 announcement. 

The services include medical assessments, medication for addiction including methadone, counseling, and peer services. 

The new OTP program is located at 13 Chapel St. in Auburn. OASAS provided $200,000 to support the creation of this program, the office said.

“As we continue to confront the worst overdose epidemic we’ve ever seen, expanding these services so that more people can access them is vitally important,” Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, OASAS commissioner, said in a news release. “By bringing these services to previously underserved areas, this new program will allow more people to access lifesaving services including medication for addiction, which is safe and effective and proven to save lives and keep people healthy.”

This program will “drastically cut down” on travel time for many people who need this type of care, OASAS contends. Previously, individuals in the area would have to travel an hour or more to access methadone.

This facility is part of a new initiative to increase OTP access in previously underserved areas and address the ongoing need for this type of treatment throughout New York State, OASAS said. This initiative is being funded through the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant, the office noted.

“Farnham Family Services is honored to be welcomed into the Auburn community to make OTP services more accessible to individuals with opioid use disorder,” Eric Bresee, executive director of Farnham Family Services, said in the OASAS release. “This initiative would not have been possible without the support of OASAS, Counseling Help for Alcohol and Drugs (CHAD), Nick’s Ride for Friends and Cayuga County Mental Hygiene.”

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports says it oversees “one of the nation’s largest” substance-use disorder systems of care with about 1,700 prevention, treatment and recovery programs serving over 731,000 individuals per year. It includes the direct operation of 12 addiction treatment centers where its doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to about 8,000 individuals per year.

Eric Reinhardt: