OASAS Launches Communities of Solution to Improve Addiction Services

ALBANY, NY (03/19/2009)(readMedia)-- State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo today announced a new Communities of Solution framework to empower local addiction service networks, decrease addiction prevalence and increase recovery outcomes.

The Communities of Solution model will build upon the local government planning process to increase access, improve program quality, increase positive consumer outcomes and improve efficiencies in communities statewide.

"By bringing together government, non-profits, and individuals in recovery, we will share knowledge and better utilize resources, particularly during challenging fiscal times," Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo said. "We want to improve access to treatment for the one in seven New Yorkers who are dealing with alcohol, drug or gambling addiction."

As a facet of the Communities of Solution framework, OASAS this week held the first of six meetings utilizing the World Café concept with representatives of local communities, county and other State government agencies, service providers and consumers of prevention, treatment and recovery services.

The World Café is a global network which in 1995 developed the process designed to stimulate innovative thinking and generate ideas toward a common goal. The proactive process will engage participants to generate strategies, identify priorities and create strategies to improve the continuum of services provided through New York's addictions system of care.

Projects that result from this process will be announced in early summer, 2009.

OASAS is inviting volunteers in five areas of the state beginning on March 18 through April 23, 2009 in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City and Syracuse to share ideas on how to improve New York's addiction system at local, regional and state levels.

Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo added, "Specifically, only one in five New Yorkers who need treatment are accessing services and these World Cafés will empower people with the opportunity to provide ideas and strategies for new ways to reach these individuals and their families."

New York is one of 10 states recently invited to participate in a Network for the Improvement for Addiction Treatment (NIATx) initiative promoting system change, focusing in improving access and retention for individuals in need of addiction services.

NIATx is a national partnership of organizations seeking to assist addiction treatment providers in making more efficient use of their capacity to serve clients through use of process improvement methods. OASAS currently participates in two NIATx programs: Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention - State Implementation (STAR-SI) funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NIATx 200, funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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 on any given day. Through efforts such as the Your Story Matters campaign at www.iamrecovery.com, the agency hopes to foster a movement of recovery, one that sheds the stigma and promotes a life of health and wellness.

Addiction is a chronic disease and New Yorkers need to know that help and hope is available. Individuals can get help by calling the toll-free, 24-hour 7 days a week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY. For more information, visit http://www.oasas.state.ny.us/

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