In yet another partnership with County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk County Government, on April 1, LICADD launched a 24-hour assistance line where a live LICADD clinician can be reached to assist Long Islanders who are in need of services for substance use disorders (SUD). As the public health crisis continues to adversely impact a multitude of Long Island families and communities, LICADD is proud to offer 24 hour assistance to those individuals and families in need of support, counseling and referrals to quality healthcare facilities for a host of treatment options for substance use disorders.
LICADD’s full-service substance abuse hotline will serve as what officials called a lifeline to residents battling drug addiction, which lawmakers have been struggling to address across Long Island for years. To get there, the county teamed up with community partners in the substance abuse field to allow residents to call to get screenings, referrals and follow-ups.
The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence will operate the 24-hour hotline and direct callers to those resources. Providing a single phone number to call for a myriad of resources and services is key to assisting those who are battling addiction and their families, officials said. “Like many places in this country, Suffolk County is facing an opioid epidemic of historic proportions,” County Executive Steve Bellone said in a statement. “We need to tackle this epidemic on all fronts — including prevention, treatment and law enforcement.” Bellone said his administration has made it a top priority to “explore and launch new, evidence-based tools” to help address the region’s fight against heroin and opioid use. “The creation of a local 24/7 hotline is now another tool in our arsenal to assist those who are battling opioid and heroin addiction and their families,” he said.
The hotline will become live by April 1ST, Bellone said, and the Suffolk County health department will provide oversight and analyze data to monitor its effectiveness and identify trends and emerging issues in the community.
LICADD recognizes that individuals and families in crisis with SUD require immediate and quality support, assessment and referrals 24 hours a day. LICADD clinicians are hypervigilant in our professional understanding that the time to seek treatment is “now”! Often times “now” happens after 9pm and before 8am, including weekends and holidays. The window of opportunity where an individual and/or family is willing to seek support and treatment if of a finite duration, and without immediate consultation, that window of opportunity closes under the pathology of denial, obsession and fear which often defines substance use disorders.
LICADD has been on the front lines of substance use counseling, screening, brief intervention and referrals to treatment on Long Island since 1956 and we are pleased to offer this new dimension of service to better meet the needs of Long Islanders struggling with substance use disorders, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
LICADD is Long Island’s premier non-profit agency providing alcohol and drug prevention and intervention services to at-risk children, individuals, and families across the region for 60 years. With offices in Mineola, Holbrook and Riverhead, LICADD conducts screenings, brief interventions, referrals to treatment and relapse prevention services to individuals and families impacted by substance abuse. The agency also conducts evidence-based prevention programs, community outreach initiatives, and a mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents and public policy advocacy. More information about LICADD’s services is available by calling (631) 979-1700 or online at www.licadd.org. Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
