BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A new hotline -- open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week -- is available in most of Western New York for those battling addiction.
The number is 716-831-7007.
The program is funded through a $450,000 grant from the NewYork State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, which put out bids to open these "Open Access Centers" throughout the state. In our 5-county region of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties, Horizon Health Services won the bid.
In other regions, the winning bids were for standalone, brick-and-mortar clinics that would be open around the clock.
Horizon says the hotline works better in this area.
"We're taking a different approach because we're covering five counties," said Brandy Vandermark-Murray, a Horizon vice president. "It's a large region. We have a lot of services in Western New York in certain pocketed areas. In other areas, there's very limited resources."
The hotline will be staffed by specially-trained operators with Crisis Services. The goal is to make sure anyone who calls gets a "warm handoff" to their appropriate level of care, whether that be inpatient or outpatient treatment, emergency detox, some type of counseling or another form of assistance.
"The commitment that the Open Access Center makes is to get you to the next most right place," said Anne Constantino, Horizon's president and C.E.O.
The hotline will refer patients to many different treatment facilities through the Buffalo area; however, there are several key hubs that will play crucial roles.
- Horizon's Terrace House facility on Elm Street in Downtown Buffalo will be available to those who need immediate residential treatment.
- ECMC will be a resource for those who need a medically-managed detox program.
- Family members of those addicted can get assistance through the 'Save the Michaels of the World' non-profit.
Folks who live in the other three counties of Western New York -- Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans -- will be serviced by a different "Open Access Center" that covers the Finger Lakes region.