SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $1.5M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR FARNHAM FAMILY SERVICES TO ADDRESS OPIOID EPIDEMIC IN OSWEGO COUNTY
Farnham Family Services Will Receive $524K Per Year For Three Years To Expand Medication Assisted Treatment In Oswego County
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Farnham Family Services today announced over $1.5 million in federal funding for Farnham Family Services in Oswego, NY. The funding, which includes $524,670 per year for the next three years, was allocated by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and will be used to expand Medication Assisted Treatment in Oswego County. Schumer visited Farnham Family Services in April to call on the federal government to move drug-fighting funds into communities and wrote to HHS in support of Farnham Family Services’ application for SAMHSA grant funding.
“The opioid and heroin abuse crisis in Oswego County is a symptom of this national emergency, and we need to fight back now. With this vital funding, Farnham Family Services can continue the hard work of prevention and treatment by expanding access to Medication Assisted Treatment,” said Senator Schumer. “I saw first-hand the outstanding work that Farnham Family Services does in the community each every day and will continue to work to help ensure that Central New York communities have the resources they need to make a difference in this fight.”
“We are very grateful for this federal support. This funding will go a long way in helping us to develop our capacity in serving the growing need in the community,” said Eric A. Bresee Executive Director of Farnham Family Services.
Farnham Family Services serves people with substance use and behavioral health disorders by providing high quality, recovery-oriented outpatient treatment and prevention services that are available to all residents of Oswego and surrounding counties. Between Farnham’s two facilities in Oswego and Fulton, they serve over 200 patients per day and had a total of 17,799 clinic visits last year. In 2017, Farnham expanded treatment options by becoming the first and only treatment Opiate Treatment Program in Oswego County providing medication to individuals struggling with opioid addiction. Currently, Farnham provides Medication Assisted Treatment to over 120 patients.
Specifically, Farnham Family Services will use the federal funding to expand Medication Assisted Treatment in Oswego County. The organization plans to increase engagement and retention in Medication Assisted Treatment by: increasing suboxone prescribing capacity in the outpatient clinic; developing peer supports for admitted clients, including a MARS project; implementing technology for telemedicine practice; developing connection to services for the jail population; and establishing In-Community evaluations.
Schumer explained that in the United States, drug overdose deaths have exceeded car crashes as the number one cause of injury or death. 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose and over 2 million adolescents, ages 12-17, reported using prescription opioids recreationally in their lifetime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids—a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications and heroin—were involved in more than 33,000 deaths nationwide in 2015.
In the two-year budget deal agreement reached in March and the federal fiscal years 2018 and 2019 funding bills, Schumer fought for and secured $6 billion in federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic, the majority of which will be used for state grants and services. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) got a $1.4 billion increase over last year. SAMHSA leads our nation’s treatment efforts to address the opioid and heroin crisis gripping communities throughout New York and the rest of the nation.
A copy of Schumer’s letter to the HHS appears below.
Dear Secretary Azar:
I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by Farnham Family Services, Inc. (FFS) for funding through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Such funding will enable FFS to increase the number of Oswego County residents with an Opiate Use Disorder (OUD) receiving Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).
FFS is a substance abuse rehabilitation center based out of Oswego County, NY. FFS offers services to anyone struggling with addiction issues, regardless of the degree of their addiction or their background. However, the Farnham Outpatient Program’s toxicology reports showed 135 instances of opiate use post-admission in 2018, while in 2017 the program only had a treatment success rate of 35%.
With funding, FFS will develop and implement outreach strategies to increase participation in and access to MAT for those at risk for OUD and decrease illicit opioid use and prescription opioid misuse by program participants. I applaud Farnham Family Services, Inc. for its commitment to public health and safety, and sincerely hope the application meets with your approval.
Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my Grants Coordinator in my Washington, DC office at 202-224-6542.
Sincerely,
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