Award Comes as a Result of Federal Funding Awarded to NYS OASAS to Address Opioid Crisis  

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 – ALBANY, NEW YORK – Friends of Recovery – New York (FOR-NY) today announced that it has been selected by the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS) to receive $450,000 for the creation of a youth and young adult statewide recovery network. The news came as part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s rollout of $25.2 million in federal funding, which will expand critical initiatives in New York’s ongoing effort to confront the opioid epidemic gripping the nation.

FOR-NY has engaged the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council of Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery Counties (HFM Prevention Council) and New York City-based nonprofit Road Recovery – two organizations that have demonstrated great success in working with young people in recovery – as partners in developing, executing and sustaining the program. Together, along with three youth leaders from the recovery community and support from OASAS, the partners will work to establish and coordinate a Youth and Young Adult Advisory Board and a Statewide Youth and Young Adult Recovery Network by developing and supporting a minimum of 14 youth and young adult recovery communities across New York State.

According to FOR-NY Executive Director, Stephanie M. Campbell, “We are honored to have been selected to work with young people in developing this critically important statewide, youth recovery network. It is time that youth and young adults are provided the space to create a unified voice within the recovery system.  We are especially grateful to NYS OASAS for providing this opportunity to effect positive, even life-saving change for young people throughout the state, and to the HFM Prevention Council and Road Recovery for their tireless commitment to this community. Their experience and expertise in working with youth in recovery is invaluable and will go a long way to ensuring the development and sustainability of the network.”

The $25.2 million in federal funding (of which this grant is a part) was awarded to OASAS earlier this year, through the Opioid State Targeted Response grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the grant is to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need and reduce overdose-related deaths.

According to HFM Prevention Council Executive Director, Ann Rhodes, “As evidenced by the launch of our Creative Connections Clubhouse (the first youth clubhouse to open in New York State) and our All Recovery Youth Support Group, Youth Recovery has been a passion of ours for quite some time. As such, we are thrilled to be partnering with FOR-NY and Road Recovery on this critically important initiative and firmly believe that our three agencies working together have extraordinary potential to help New York’s young people build a powerful youth recovery movement across the state.”

According to Road Recovery co-founders Jack Bookbinder and Gene Bowen, “Road Recovery is honored to join FOR-NY and a network of community-based organizations energized to support the development of a youth-led recovery movement across the State of New York, thanks to the support of Governor Cuomo, Commissioner Gonzalez-Sanchez, and funding through the Research Foundation Mental Health (RFMH). Since 1998, our youth-driven non-profit embraces the power of ‘WE’ to engage and empower youth in recovery. Now emboldened, we’re joining this movement to reach more and more amazing young people to support their efforts to build a youth-recovery network, and carry the message of hope and healing to young people.”

ABOUT FOR-NY
Friends of Recovery – New York (FOR-NY) is a statewide, non-profit organization with a mission to demonstrate the power and promise of Recovery from alcohol & drug addiction as well as the value that Recovery provides to individuals, families, and entire communities throughout New York State. We envision a world in which recovery from addiction is not only common, but celebrated; a world in which the entire spectrum of effective prevention, treatment, and recovery support services are available and accessible to all. Follow us on Facebook,  Twitter, Instagram and Linked In.

ABOUT HFM PREVENTION COUNCIL
The HFM Prevention Council is a nonprofit agency founded by concerned citizens of Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery Counties and funded by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Its mission is to prevent, through education, the abuse of, and addiction to, alcohol, other drugs and gambling in Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery Counties.

ABOUT ROAD RECOVERY
Road Recovery, a New York City-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998, is dedicated to helping young people battle addiction and other adversities by partnering them with entertainment industry professionals who provide mentorship training, performance workshops, peer support networking, and “all access” opportunities to create and present live concert events and recording projects. These industry professionals, who have confronted similar struggles, provide a vital peer support network for participating young people by sharing their experience, knowledge and resources. With support of professionals from the mental health field, Road Recovery seeks to empower youth of all backgrounds to face their struggles in a positive way and develop comprehensive life skills guided by professionals and supported by a community of like-minded peers.

Press Inquiries: Susan Murphy, FOR-NY – [email protected]/518-487-4395, ext. 12

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