Addiction Affects the Entire Community – Learn How You Can Make a Difference

Coffee and Donuts Meet and Greet with Catholic Charities – Saturday, Nov. 17

Livingston Manor – It fills the pages of our newspapers and social media feeds every day – addiction is significantly impacting our communities. It’s killing our loved ones, breaking up families, and landing others in jail, to name just a few of the consequences. There’s no need to go it alone, however. Working together, community residents can make a difference.

Sullivan County community members are invited to join Catholic Charities for a meet and greet with the Community Outreach team to learn more about the work that is being done to turn the tide on the opioid epidemic. The meet and greet will be held Saturday, November 17 from 11 am to 3 pm at the offices of Catskill Regional Medical Group, 36 Pearl Street, Livingston Manor. This open house event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.

“The Catholic Charities Community Outreach Team is on the front lines in the fight against opioid addiction,” said Amy Kolakowski, LMSW, Director of Behavioral Health Services/Sullivan & Ulster, for Catholic Charities. “Our Outreach team seeks to bring addiction treatment directly to those in need, especially in under-served and hard to reach areas. They work closely with our Recovery Peer Advocates who draw on their own recovery experiences to inspire, support, and connect with individuals struggling with addiction or striving to maintain recovery,” added Kolakowski.

Free Narcan training and kits will be available during the meet and greet. Narcan is an opioid overdose reversal medication that can easily and safely be administered by a lay person when someone is suffering from an overdose.

“Catholic Charities is grateful to our community partners at Catskill Regional Medical Center for sharing their space with us and joining us for this important meet and greet,” said Kolakowski. “I encourage our friends and neighbors to join us, get to know the Community Outreach team, and find out what each of us can do make positive changes,” she continued.

The Catholic Charities Community Outreach Team is part of the non-profit agency’s Center of Treatment Innovation, a NYS-funded program targeted at addressing the opioid crisis in Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties. The Center works to increase access to treatment, address unmet need, and reduce overdose-related deaths. Services include community-based assessment and treatment referrals, telepractice, medication-assisted treatment, individual, group, and family therapy, recovery support and peer advocates, care management, and mobile community outreach.

To learn more about the Catholic Charities Center of Treatment Innovation, or for more information about the meet and greet, contact Lisa Beam at 845.794.8080, ext. 190 or lisa.beam@cccsos.org.

EVENT FAST FACTS

WHO:              Catholic Charities Community Outreach Team

WHAT:             Coffee and Conversation Meet and Greet with Community Outreach Team

WHEN:             Saturday, November 17 – 11 am – 3 pm

WHERE:           Catskill Regional Medical Group,
36 Pearl Street, Livingston Manor
WHY:               Addiction is affecting our community. Learn what can be done to make a
positive difference.