EAC Network is pleased to announce that Suffolk County, through the Department of Health Services, awarded $1,365,000 to the organization to fight opioid addiction. EAC Network will receive $275,000 per year for 3 years for the Transitional Case Management Substance Use Disorder Program, (SUD) and $180,000 per year for 3 years for the Treatment to Alternative for Safer Community Program, (Suffolk TASC) starting 2023.
“This grant will save lives and help make our communities safer,” said Neela Mukherjee Lockel, President & CEO of the EAC Network.
EAC Network’s proposal was selected for funding in the first phase of the release of the Opioid Settlement dollars in Suffolk County. Suffolk County is set to distribute funds from the multi-million-dollar settlement agreements it reached with major opioid distributors and retail pharmacies.
The Suffolk County Legislature’s Addiction, Prevention and Support Advisory Panel released a report in December 2022 indicating 184 confirmed opioid related deaths last year and 100 pending cases.
Ms. Lockel stated “Substance abuse disorder is not an individual’s issue to face alone. Opioid addiction has been ruining individuals and families. At EAC we help those suffering from substance abuse, their families, and support network to assure a new path to recovery. We thank Suffolk County for accepting our proposal and for helping us with the fight against the Opioid addiction.”
In Suffolk County, EAC Network’s Programs among others, focus on Behavioral Health & Criminal Justice initiatives. Our network of programs like the Suffolk Transitional Case Management (SUD) and the Treatment to Alternative for Safer Communities (TASC), work in partnership with the criminal justice system to help individuals suffering from substance abuse issues disorder.
Individuals within the criminal justice system who are diagnosed with substance use disorders are typically not offered supportive services, which results in high recidivism rates. EAC Network’s Suffolk Transitional Case Management – SUD prepares incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders with the tools they need to successfully transition back into the community upon their release. EAC’s Treatment to Alternative for Safer Community Program (TASC) diverts individuals with alcohol and substance abuse issues out of the criminal justice system and into treatment facilities.
The crisis of opioid misuse and overdose and opioid use disorder (OUD) is causing a devastating health problem in the United States. Current national trends indicate that each year more people die of overdoses. In Suffolk County, to help counter the issue, EAC treats thousands of patients yearly from the use of varieties of substances including opioids.
“We are dedicated to the idea that these funds will go toward helping those individuals and families who have suffered; that these funds will go toward helping to end the opioid epidemic once and for all,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. “Every single dollar. That is our commitment,” added Bellone.
EAC Network is a non-profit, diverse human services agency that responds to the needs of over 65,000 individuals with over 100 critically necessary programs and direct support services throughout Long Island and New York City.
