Buffalo Ledger

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) was joined by Catholic Health President Mark Sullivan to announce $2,377,172 in federal funding to support additional inpatient treatment beds for those struggling with substance use disorder. The funding, which Higgins secured in the federal budget, will go toward the establishment of Clearview Inpatient Treatment Center at Sisters of Charity Hospital’s St. Joseph Campus in Cheektowaga.

“Too often individuals and families in urgent need of inpatient treatment have no place to turn,” said Congressman Higgins. “Clearview Treatment Center will help to fill that healthcare gap, providing individuals facing substance use disorder with quality care and the best opportunity for recovery. We commend Catholic Health for its leadership in expanding access to treatment services and are grateful for the opportunity to secure federal funding that will save lives in Western New York.”

“On behalf of Catholic Health, we thank Congressman Higgins for recognizing the urgent need for inpatient substance use disorder treatment services in Erie County and his unwavering support to secure this critical federal funding for Clearview Treatment Services at St. Joseph Campus,” said Mark Sullivan, President & CEO of Catholic Health.  “The addition of this inpatient facility will give us the opportunity to expand our evidence-based, patient-centered care for treating individuals recovering from addiction and help us reverse a trend that is claiming the lives of all too many of our family members, friends and neighbors.”

Clearview Treatment Services, set to open in May, will make 40 additional drug and alcohol dependence rehabilitation beds available by converting St. Joe’s 5th floor medical-surgical wing into a new unit dedicated to substance use disorder treatment. 

This fills a void in 24-hour treatment beds in Western New York. Currently, there are just 132 chemical dependence rehabilitation beds available across the eight-county region. Thirty of those beds will be lost when Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport closes in June. 

From 2019 to 2020 opioid-related overdose deaths in Erie County rose from 156 deaths to 245 deaths – a 57% increase. Over the same period, alcohol-related deaths rose by 26% across the nation. According to the New York State Opioid Annual Report, in 2020 there were 4,273 admissions to opioid dependence treatment programs in Erie County and 1,597 in Niagara County.

Catholic Health already provides outpatient medication-assisted treatment in Western New York at its Pathways clinics and maintains 69 beds in an inpatient unit at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston. 

Higgins, a member of the bipartisan Congressional Opioid Task Force, led legislation to expand medication-assisted treatment as well as a bill to expand job training to health professionals specializing in opioid treatment.

Original source can be found here.