newscrisismental-healthSAMHSA Awards $255 Million to 988 Crisis Lifeline—With New York-Based Administrator at the HelmThe 988 Lifeline has handled over 25 million crisis contacts since its 2022 launch. New federal funding will expand capacity as data shows 14.3 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.May 18, 20264 min read
newsrecoverytreatmentNYC Is Hiring 500 Former Addicts to Help Others Recover—And Paying Them $12 MillionNew York City will invest $12 million from opioid manufacturer settlements to hire 500 peer recovery specialists—people with lived experience of addiction who are trained to help others find treatment and stay in recovery.May 11, 20264 min read
newssettlementfundingPurdue Pharma Is Shut Down Forever. New York Just Secured $250 Million for Addiction Treatment.The company that made OxyContin and fueled the opioid crisis is now defunct. New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $250 million for the state as part of a historic $7.4 billion settlement that bars the Sackler family from the opioid business forever.May 4, 20265 min read
newsfundingfederalThe $2 Billion Cut: How Federal Funding Losses Are Hitting New York's Addiction Treatment ProgramsFederal grants supporting overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, and peer recovery services were abruptly cancelled in January, putting New York's addiction treatment infrastructure at risk.April 21, 20266 min read
newsfundingfederalTrump Administration Terminates Hundreds of SAMHSA Grants, Threatening Addiction Treatment NationwideFederal funding cuts to SAMHSA grants put overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, and peer recovery programs at risk across the United States. The terminations affect programs that millions of Americans rely on.April 20, 20264 min read
newspolicyfederalNew York's Top Addiction Official Warns $13 Billion Medicaid Cut Could 'Destabilize' Treatment System StatewideAt a Penn conference, NY's addiction services commissioner warned that losing $13 billion in Medicaid funding would force impossible choices between prevention, treatment, and harm reduction—and likely cost lives.April 9, 20268 min read
newspolicyfederalWhite House Budget Proposes 12% Cut to Health Agency Funding Addiction Treatment NationwideThe Trump administration's fiscal 2027 budget would slash federal health funding by 12.5%, consolidating and eliminating programs at SAMHSA that fund addiction treatment across New York. Congress has final say, but the proposal creates immediate uncertainty for providers.April 6, 20267 min read
newsfederalfundingFeds Drop $100 Million on New Addiction Program That Targets Homelessness—And Faith Groups Are InThe Trump administration just announced a $100 million program to tackle addiction among homeless Americans. Faith-based groups are eligible—but the fine print shows ties to a controversial executive order on involuntary treatment.April 2, 20267 min read
newsfederalfundingFederal Government Launches $100 Million Program to Connect People Experiencing Addiction and Homelessness with Housing and TreatmentThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a $100 million federal investment in the STREETS Initiative, aiming to expand treatment, outreach, and housing support for people experiencing addiction and homelessness.March 31, 20264 min read
NnewsopioidfundingNew York Airs Statewide Documentary Showing Where Billions in Opioid Settlement Funds Are GoingA new 30-minute documentary produced by OASAS is airing statewide this month, revealing where hundreds of millions in opioid settlement dollars are going—and putting faces to the crisis through personal stories of loss, survival, and recovery.March 30, 20267 min read
newsdeep-divefederalWhiplash at HHS: How Trump's $2 Billion Grant Cuts Threw New York's Addiction Treatment System Into Chaos—Then Reversed in 24 HoursIn January, the Trump administration sent termination letters to thousands of mental health and addiction programs nationwide. New York's safety net scrambled. Then, 24 hours later, the money came back. But the chaos didn't end there.March 20, 20268 min read
newsopioidrecoveryNew York Airs Rare Statewide TV Program on Opioid Crisis — Here's What It ShowsA 30-minute program airing across New York this month gives the public an inside look at how the state is using hundreds of millions in opioid settlement money—and tells the stories of New Yorkers who've lived through addiction and recovery.March 19, 20267 min read
newsfederalfundingFederal Government Announces $100M 'STREETS' Program to Connect Homeless People With Addiction to Housing and TreatmentThe new STREETS Initiative marks a departure from prior harm reduction policies, directing $100 million toward outreach, psychiatric care, and housing for Americans experiencing homelessness and addiction.March 16, 20267 min read
newsmedicaidfundingFederal Medicaid Probe Threatens Coverage for 1.7 Million New Yorkers — Including Those Seeking Addiction TreatmentThe Trump administration has opened a fraud investigation into New York's $124 billion Medicaid program, threatening to freeze payments if the state doesn't respond within 30 days. For the 1.7 million New Yorkers who depend on Medicaid-funded health care—including thousands in addiction treatment—the stakes couldn't be higher.March 13, 20268 min read
newsoasasfundingNew York Airs Documentary on $3B Opioid Settlement SpendingA new documentary airing across New York gives the public its first look at how the state is deploying $3 billion in opioid settlement funds, including personal stories from families who lost loved ones and teens who learned to save lives with naloxone.March 12, 20264 min read
newsmental-healthfundingFederal Government Opens $69 Million in Mental Health Grants, Targets Suicide Prevention and Youth CareThe federal government is making $69 million available to healthcare systems, states, and community providers working on youth mental health, suicide prevention, and involuntary treatment programs.March 10, 20267 min read
fundingoasasauditState Pulls $5 Million in Funding From Lockport Recovery Group After 15-Year RunA Western New York addiction services provider that answered 55,000 calls a year has shut its doors after state auditors found its founder gave himself a $25,000 raise and a $40,000 loan without board approval.March 6, 20268 min read
settlementfundingnycNew York City to Receive $48 Million From Purdue Pharma-Sackler Settlement as Litigation Moves ForwardNew York City committed to a new Purdue Pharma-Sackler family settlement that will funnel approximately $48 million to the city — adding to the roughly $50 million annually the Adams administration already receives from major opioid settlements.February 25, 20264 min read
newsrecoveryfundingNew York Invests $42.9 Million in Job Training for People in Addiction RecoveryEvery region of New York will get dedicated vocational counselors to help people in recovery find stable work. The five-year initiative targets one of the biggest barriers to lasting recovery: unemployment.February 24, 20264 min read
deep-diveopioidsettlementWhere Are New York's Opioid Settlement Millions Going? Watchdogs Say the State Won't Tell ThemDrug policy experts and advisory board members say OASAS is stonewalling transparency efforts around $1.5 billion in opioid settlement funds, refusing to disclose basic information required by law.February 23, 20269 min read
federalfundingtreatmentKennedy Announces $100M Federal Plan to Link Homeless Americans to Addiction TreatmentThe Trump administration's first major addiction policy move pairs $100 million in new federal funding with a sharp break from harm reduction — a combination that has addiction medicine providers watching closely.February 18, 20263 min read
treatmentresidentialnew-yorkLong Island Gets New York's First Residential Addiction Program Built Specifically for Young AdultsNew York has hundreds of residential treatment programs, but until now, none were built around the specific needs of young adults. A new facility in Brentwood is trying to change that — and the gap it's filling says something about how the state thinks about addiction in people under 25.February 18, 20266 min read
overdoseopioidfentanylNew York Just Recorded Its Lowest Overdose Death Toll Since Before COVID. Here's What Changed.For two consecutive years, New York has posted dramatic declines in overdose deaths. An estimated 4,567 people died in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023 — a drop the state hasn't seen since before the pandemic. Here's what drove it, who's still being left behind, and why 2026 will test how durable these gains really are.February 18, 20267 min read
policyfundingalcoholNew York Bill Would Make Alcohol Sales Fund Addiction Treatment StatewideBronx Senator Nathalia Fernandez is pushing three bills that would create the first dedicated alcohol tax revenue stream for addiction services in New York — at a moment when the state has never made drinking easier to access.February 17, 20265 min read
opioidfundingtreatmentRochester Just Got a New Opioid Clinic. Here's Where New York's Settlement Billions Are Going.New York has distributed more opioid settlement money than any other state. A new clinic in Rochester shows what that looks like on the ground — and a transparency controversy shows what it doesn't.February 17, 20268 min read
fundingfederalsamhsaSAMHSA Sends $794 Million in Block Grants to States for Mental Health and AddictionThe federal government sent nearly $800 million to states and territories for addiction treatment and mental health services — the largest single block grant distribution of the year, covering everything from community clinics to substance abuse prevention.February 17, 20263 min read
