45°
Often when one comes out of treatment, they have nowhere to go, no one to depend on and/or all the triggers that contributed to using heroin in the first place, may be present once again.
To help make sure recovering addicts have a chance to make it, and continue on their road to recovery, the $100,000 in legislative funding has been earmarked to provide "wraparound" services to prevent a return to drug use, according to State Sen. David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester).
The money was awarded to the Rockland Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependence, Inc. (RCADD), to use for a wraparound services program to assist recovering heroin/opioid addicts for up to nine months after successful completion of a treatment program.
According to Health Research Funding, more than 90 percent of heroin addicts in recovery end up relapsing. A detailed plan must be in place to ensure that sobriety is maintained and this $100,000 in legislative funding will be used to support those who need it after completing treatment, Carlucci said.
The wraparound services will be based on a case management model which will provide individuals who complete treatment, a plan to continue their journey to maintain their sobriety. Officials with RCADD said the pilot program will provide a mentor that will meet individuals at the door as they leave treatment centers. The mentor is there to support the person with anything they could possibly need.
The program will provide yoga, physical exercise and more importantly, a person to talk to and help them in their long journey as a recovering addict, said RCADD Executive Director Ruth Bowles.
“The goal of the wraparound service demonstration program is to link a person leaving addiction treatment to a safe and secure recovery oriented environment. By utilizing an array of protective factors, we hope to give each person an opportunity to attain and sustain a life in recovery," said Bowles.
The funding is in the right hands of dedicated and trained people where the money will be utilized in the most beneficial way to keep addicts from relapsing, Cren Schwartz, of the Rockland Friends of Recovery: “When my son came out of treatment, there was no real plan for him. They gave him the information to a self-help group and sent him on his way. It is vital to have a detailed plan for someone coming out of recovery and I know firsthand because I lost my son to addiction after he completed treatment multiple times. I have worked tirelessly with the senator and Rockland Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependence, Inc., to ensure more is done to help recovering addicts.”
To contact RCADD, call 845-215-9788 or visit help@rcadd.org.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Orangetown and receive free news updates.
