ILION, N.Y. — The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has awarded more than
$1.3 million in funding to support the expansion of addiction-prevention services for older adults including $200,000 to Catholic Charities of Herkimer County.

“Addiction can affect anyone, including older adults, and often times this population can face barriers when accessing help,” OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham said in a release. “With this expansion of our prevention services for older adults we will be able to better reach them with these important services to support their health and well-being.”

Providers will use the funding to engage with older adults through the Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE) program that focuses on healthy aging and making healthy lifestyle choices. This includes education topics such as substance misuse, medication management, stress management, and depression.

The initiative also is designed to increase engagement with the adult population through the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) approach to public health to identify those at risk of developing substance-use disorders and deliver early intervention and treatment services.

OASAS partnered with the New York State Office for the Aging and the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services for the initiative. The federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Supplemental Grant provided the funding.

OASAS oversees one of the nation’s largest substance-use disorder systems of care with about 1,700 prevention, treatment, and recovery programs that serve more than 680,000 individuals annually.