Democrats in the New York State Assembly have come through with some cash for Crouse Hospital in Syracuse to help fund its opioid and heroin abuse program.
The majority conference is committing $400,000 to Crouse, which runs the only methadone program in the region. It’s struggling to keep up with demand spurred by the recent spike in heroin and opiate addiction across the country and in central New York. Right now the program serves 600 patients; another 500 are on a waiting list. The hospital treats patients who are from the Southern Tier to the North Country.
Monika Taylor, manager of Crouse’s Outpatient Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, hopes this influx of funds can help expand a program that’s bursting at the seams.
"We still actually in our current program, have capacity. The problem is the building. We’ve outgrown the building, and been that’s what’s made it difficult to provide adequate services,” said Taylor.
While the Crouse program provides methadone treatment, Taylor would like to see a new program location offer other services, like primary care appointments. She says right now, many of the patients who control their addiction with methadone, don’t have primary care in place, and are turning to urgent care or emergency rooms for standard medical treatment.
There’s no timetable for the expansion for the opiate heroin abuse program.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the funding while on a trip to Syracuse Tuesday.
