NORTH CANAAN — The Connecticut-based Mountainside Treatment Center, which is nationally recognized for its drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs and operates a sprawling facility in North Canaan, announced that it will be relaunching its New York City Recovery Hub in June to allow for in-person gatherings and events halted during the pandemic.
The three-story facility in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, opened in 2019, is dedicated to expanding and enhancing the recovery experience for individuals suffering from addiction, and for the community around them, according to Mountainside CEO Andre Basso.
“We are excited to launch version 2.0 of our New York City Recovery Hub to provide more much-needed resources for individuals to heal, learn and connect in a safe and supportive environment,” said Basso in making the April 18 announcement.
“We never closed, we just suspended our live events and now we are full speed ahead for the relaunch of services in June,” said the Mountainside official. “During COVID it was impossible to host in-person gatherings.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 1999 to 2021, drug overdose deaths quadrupled in the United States. The pandemic exacerbated the problem, sparking a surge of mental health struggles, leading to an increase in opioid-involved overdoses from an estimated 70,029 in 2020 to 80,816 in 2021.
New York City saw a nearly 80 percent jump in drug overdoses from 2019 to 2021.
“We have to do something about that as a company and as a society,” noted Basso.
“The substance abuse crisis is an ongoing and ever-evolving problem. As one of the world’s largest urban centers, New York City has an entirely unique set of challenges,” exacerbated by the stressors of a densely populated, urban environment, he said.
Mountainside, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, currently operates six treatment facilities in the Northeast, including North Canaan and Wilton in Connecticut, as well as centers in New York and New Jersey.
The company also recently expanded virtual services into neighboring Massachusetts so that individuals who seek initial treatment at its North Canaan facility can have access to follow-up treatment without the inconvenience of having to drive 45 minutes to an hour to Connecticut.
“It’s very important for keeping people supported,” Basso noted.
Lack of qualified healthcare providers
Statistics provided by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveal that more than 44 million Americans ages 18 or older struggle with a substance use disorder. Yet officials estimate that less than 10 percent of those affected receive proper care.
“A major reason behind this alarming statistic is poor treatment accessibility due to the lack of qualified healthcare providers,” said Basso.
To help shrink this gap, he said, “Mountainside NYC will also house the Mountainside Learning Institute, an initiative to provide first-rate education to train addiction treatment providers.”
Mountainside Learning Institute’s first program will be the Recovery Coach Training program, which will prepare aspiring coaches to guide those in early sobriety toward a healthy, substance-free lifestyle.
Basso explained that participants will learn from active Mountainside recovery coaches who utilize case studies to teach recovery best practices.
“Helping people become certified recovery coaches will have a more profound impact in helping society survive this crisis,” said the Mountainside CEO, who noted that the Recovery Coach Training program exists “in every single location we work with.”
The Mountainside Learning Institute will also offer continuing education workshops to support existing mental health professionals in staying at the forefront of the latest therapeutic techniques and advances in the field of addiction treatment.
For the greater New York City community, Mountainside’s New York City Recovery Hub will offer educational workshops such as how to use Narcan and the topic of addiction as a brain disease to share knowledge on substance abuse and recovery.
“We have been providing Narcan training for the past five years,” throughout its centers, said Basso.
A full suite of clinical outpatient services will be added to Mountainside NYC’s existing menu of offerings, according to company officials.
In addition to its peer-to-peer recovery coaching program, New Yorkers will also have access to outpatient counseling from intensive group therapy and individual therapy to family counseling, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy.
High risk populations such as the LGBTQ+ community, young adults, and business professionals will also have specialized programing to meet their unique needs, and free support groups will also be offered and open to everyone including support groups specifically for family and friends impacted by a loved one’s alcoholism and drug use.
“We have a lot going on,” noted Basso.
Addiction is a ‘family crisis’
To mark its milestone 25th anniversary this year, Mountainside will be hosting a series of free community events at its six locations across Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to educate individuals on practices for healthier, ore mindful living.
Additionally, the nationally recognized treatment center will showcase inspirational stories of recovery spotlighting individuals from all walks of life.
In late March, Mountainside Treatment Center announced that, for the second year in a row, it is providing $10,000 worth of academic scholarships to high school juniors and seniors in the Northeast.
The treatment provider has created the Mountainside Brighter Future College Scholarship to foster awareness and education about addiction among youth and empower students who have been impacted by substance use disorders to share their stories.
Interested students are invited to complete an initial application and then submit a short essay explaining how they have been impacted by their own or a loved one’s substance use disorder. The writing sample should also detail how the student’s personal experiences have shaped their understanding of addiction as a disease.
This year’s scholarships will be provided as $1,000 awards to up to 10 selected students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is May 15 and winners will be announced in early June. Essay guidelines can be found at www.mountainside.com/scholarships/brighter-future/
