CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — According to Congressman Brian Higgins, there are only 132 chemical dependence rehab beds across Western New York.
"And we are about to lose 30 of those when Eastern Niagara Hospital closes in June," Higgins said.
Catholic Health's Mount St. Mary's Hospital has 69 beds at their Clearview Inpatient Treatment Center, but no one needing services is getting in immediately.
"We currently have a waitlist in Niagara County that's about a month and a half long," said Sisters Hospital president Aaron Chang.
Chang says that becomes a problem when those struggling with addiction could relapse.
"It is terribly difficult because in some cases, it's life and death. So for individuals who are being treated on an outpatient basis, that need, that inpatient level of care, whether it's a few days or a few months wait, they can absolutely relapse and get too much worse conditions," Chang said.
It's just part of the reason Higgins helped to secure more than $ 2 million in funding in the federal budget for 40 beds coming to St. Joe's Hospital in May, which will assist those needing a high level of treatment right away.
"I think it's going to be immediately filled up," Chang said.
The center is under construction on the fifth floor of Sisters.
Catholic Health officials say people living with addictions on average, spend about a month in the hospital.
The goal is to get them into outpatient services.
"Particularly if they're going to need medication-assisted therapies," said Paul Updike, medical director of Catholic Health Substance Abuse Services.
But this is just the start in handling a much bigger issue impacting those who want to get clean and move on with their lives.
"It's a work in progress and we have the outpatient programs and we have this inpatient facility to compliment that but there absolutely needs to be expanded access across the board," Chang said.
Updike says Catholic Health has more than 1,000 patients using their outpatient services for opiate addiction.
According to the Erie County Department of Health, there were nearly 300 opioid deaths last year.
The county is still finalizing the data on the number of deaths since 2023 began and officials there say they will release that information at the beginning of May.