NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi received over half of a million dollars in April to expand and enhance the Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Center (CATC).
The Jacobi center was awarded the money as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s initiative to advance addiction treatment centers in New York state – an ambition to which she allocated $5.8 million in April based on the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund Board’s November 2022 report. The award was met with a wave of support from local elected officials due to the high rate of overdoses in the Bronx.
According to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, the $660,000 will go toward enhancing the CATC’s current services, such as the Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program and Ancillary Withdrawal Service, by adding and integrating an Opioid Treatment Program and a comprehensive integrated outpatient treatment program. The CATC treated more than 500 patients in 2022, clinical director of the CATC Tabitha Gonzalez told the Bronx Times.
The Bronx has the largest number of overdose deaths of any NYC borough – with 786 people dying from overdose in 2021 – and the highest rate of overdose deaths at 70.6 residents out of every 100,000, according to information from the New York City Department of Health.
“The grim reality is that the Bronx is ground zero for the opioid epidemic,” NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi CEO Christopher Mastromano said. “These funds are critical so we can enhance support services for Bronxites who need our care.”
According to Gonzalez, the CATC program was started in 1970 as a primary detoxification for Alcohol Use Disorder. Next year, the CATC will expand to integrate an opioid treatment program in addition to other services.
Office of Addiction Services and Support spokesperson Evan Frost told the Bronx Times that comprehensive integrated outpatient treatment programs are a new initiative designed to provide more opportunities to access person-centered care. These programs are specifically designed to centralize multiple addiction services in one location.
In addition, the CATC is aiming to use the funds to help eliminate the stigma associated with addiction treatment by developing a program that offers all levels of medication-assisted treatment to patients with opioid use disorder.
“It is imperative that those seeking treatment are dealt with in a friendly, expeditious manner focused on assessment and engagement,” Gonzalez told the Bronx Times. “We do our best to train new professionals on Substance Use Disorder treatment and (utilize) … a harm reduction approach.”
Numerous local elected officials have voiced support for the award, including State Assemblymembers John Zaccaro Jr. and Michael Benedetto, as well as New York City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez.
“Nearly every resident of our community has a friend or family member they’ve lost to addiction,” Benedetto said. “My constituents and I are grateful to Governor Hochul for directing these funds to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi so they can help those in need of treatment. I look forward to working with my colleagues at all levels of government to do more to combat this issue in the future.”
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