Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The Cuomo administration has trimmed funding to drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers by 31 percent. Those in the field say this could put some programs in jeopardy.
Two things are on the mind of Anne Constantino of Horizon Health Services. "The first is, this is only the beginning. The second is there continues to be a complete misunderstanding about the public health problem of substance abuse and mental health, and we're always last on the list," says Constantino. "The impact depends on what funding stream you're getting contracts through, but it's scary because we've been on a flat revenue budget for many years and the crisis we've had in our community we can't afford a cut, we need a 30 percent increase."
Constantino says the biggest risk is the closure of Horizon Village, a residential treatment facility. "Revenue is already down because we had to decrease census for COVID to create social distancing. My commitment to my staff is to do anything we have to do to continue to operate, but how is it possible with a 30 percent cut in funding," worries Constantino. "I will fight like hell to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm concerned for our industry and companies that are very small because I'm committed to people getting the treatment that they need. I'm prepared to do battle if I have to."
She notes Horizon did not get Paycheck Protection Plan funding from the federal government, executives did not get overtime pay, but staff did get hazard pay. She adds there were no layoffs.
The cut in funding comes at a tough time, as overdoses are on the rise. "It's a very bad situation. Families are losing loved ones every day," says Constantino. "It's not just overdose deaths, it's suicide. It's a very dire situation. I hae no doubt numbers will be higher than 2019, and now is not the time to pull back resources."
State Senator Tim Kennedy says Washington needs to step up. "What we need to do is see the federal government finally do the right thing and make sure states like New York get funding restored," says Kennedy. "It is ripping the financial integrity out of the budgets across the country and the fact they haven't acted is outrageous."