Carmel, NY – Earlier this week, Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne announced that 5 local organizations who had applied to receive opioid settlement funds would be granted more than $700,000 in funding.

Putnam County, like many counties across the state, has received a large amount of money as part of a landmark settlement with manufacturers of prescription opioids and major pharmaceutical distributors. Earlier this year, County Executive Byrne and the legislature agreed to set up a formal request for proposal (RFP) process to distribute funds. These funds were approved for distribution at the December 5th legislative meeting.

“Prior to the pandemic, the opioid crisis was the public health crisis of our lifetime, and in many ways COVID only exacerbated it. It’s critical that we get this money into the hands of those experts who will be helping those struggling with addiction,” said County Executive Byrne. “We received some incredible proposals from local providers and I’m confident that they’re going to do excellent work moving forward. Thank you to everyone who put in so much work evaluating the proposals.”

Legislator Amy Sayegh, who chairs the Health Committee, was part of the committee that evaluated all proposals. She stated, “anytime we can increase residents access to help and support of services, we should take advantage of that opportunity. I was extremely impressed with all the requests submitted, and I’m glad we were able to get this done.”

The community providers that applied all provided detailed plans to utilize opioid settlement money to enhance their integrated co-occurring substance misuse and mental health treatment services. PeopleUSA’s proposal includes enhancing services at the Rose Hose in Garrison as well as hiring a full time peer navigator with lived experience to help individuals manage their own ongoing recovery. St Christopher’s Inn plans to enhance treatment and recovery efforts at their residential and outpatient facilities by hiring a part-time psychotherapist and a part-time specialist. Green Chimneys’ focus on services for youth will include integrating a substance misuse program for those ages 10 to 21. CoveCare will develop a community training center for staff at all levels across a range of community agencies, including the Behavioral Health Hub in Philipstown, to include medication prescribers, clinicians, front desk staff, care managers, peers, and support staff. Finally, the Putnam County Prevention Council plans to use this funding to focus on preventing fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses by increasing access to naloxone, peer support services, drug testing kits, and training.

“The Prevention Council of Putnam (PCP) would like to thank Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne and the Putnam County Legislature for this much needed funding,” said Kristin McConnell, Executive Director at the Prevention Council of Putnam. “The funding will enable the Prevention Council to sustain and expand our prevention, harm reduction and recovery support services, with the goal of preventing and reducing opioid overdose and the associated negative health outcomes for the residents of Putnam County.”

“I was thoroughly impressed with the level of care and expertise that went into each proposal,” said Sara Servadio, Commissioner of Mental Health, Social Services & Youth Bureau. “We’re trying to create a cohesive county-wide system of care that has no wrong point of entry. We need to make it so that anyone seeking help feels welcome in receiving that help, and that the assistance they are receiving is effective in addressing their complex and unique needs.”

Earlier this year, the County sought proposals from providers to help create a system of integrated co-occurring substance misuse and mental health treatment services. This follows through on the County Executive’s commitment to not hoard settlement funds, but ensure that they are distributed effectively in the community.  Individuals from Putnam County’s Department of Mental Health, Social Services & Youth Bureau, the Department of Purchasing, Legislator Sayegh, and other community volunteers evaluated all the proposals.