GOSHEN – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has announced a strategic partnership with District Attorney David Hoovler, Commissioner of Mental Health Darcie Miller and respected healthcare partners to address prescription drug and heroin abuse.

This alliance will also include the Center for Regional Healthcare Innovation, which is a member of the Westchester Medical Center (WMC) Health Performing Provider System (PPS) as well as the Westchester Medical Center Health Network; Montefiore Hospital Hudson Valley Network; and the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) of Orange County. These organizations will contract with Dr. Corey Waller, MD, MS and the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers (CCHP).

Primary grant funding for this partnership came from the Center for Regional Healthcare Innovation, Montefiore Hospital Hudson Valley Network and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

“You don’t solve the opioid crisis in Washington or Albany; it needs to be addressed in our homes and communities,” Neuhaus said. “Orange County is working with key non-profits to expand treatment options, educate families about how they can get help for their loved ones and hold opioid manufacturers accountable. This is a multi-faceted approach and I’m committed to working with all of our state and local partners to find solutions to help residents move from dependency to being drug free.”

Added Hoovler, “We’re not going to arrest our way out of the opioid epidemic and I believe that solving this crisis must involve a concerted effort by many stakeholders to educate our citizens about the dangers of drugs and ways to avoid addiction, to treat those who are already addicted, and to enforce the law against those who sell drugs and profit from it. This collaboration will help us identify gaps where we can make a greater effort to deal with the challenges of this epidemic more efficiently and effectively.”

Waller is a nationally-recognized expert in the treatment of addiction and opioid related interventions. He and the CCHP will begin to work immediately with the County and its partners, focusing on identifying individuals’ points of entry into the system and their access to care and treatment interventions. The CCHP’s work will include developing pathways among the criminal justice system, the hospitals and emergency rooms, and the outpatient provider system.

According to Waller, this approach will address the issues of addiction, targeting prescription drug and heroin abuse in a standardized and holistic manner. Waller will be the featured speaker/facilitator at Orange County’s Addiction Treatment Process Improvement Event October 16 to 20. Presenters at the event will include addiction treatment providers, prevention and primary care providers, Corrections and Probation leadership, the District Attorney’s office, local hospitals and peer services.

“Orange County is doing more to engage our system of care to expand the competencies that will improve treatment and access for those challenged with opioid addiction,” Miller said. “We are energized by this collaboration with stakeholders that want to make a difference in the lives of our residents. This partnership led by Dr. Waller will assist us in helping people toward recovery.”

For more information about the County’s Addiction Treatment Process Improvement Event, contact Regina LaCatena at RLaCatena@orangecountygov.com.