Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Awards $125,000 to Crouse Health for Addiction Treatment Services

Crouse Health has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to help support and expand services for individuals in treatment for substance use disorders.

The grant will expand access to Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPA) outside of traditional treatment hours. CRPAs are individuals with lived experience who understand the toll of addiction and the treatment process. The grant will also help sustain a therapy aide as part of the multidisciplinary treatment team who supports patients and the counseling staff with a range of services, including help accessing child care and navigating paperwork.

In addition, the grant will allow Crouse to add additional counselor hours to its Celebrating Families program, which is held outside of typical clinic hours, usually on a Saturday morning, to make it more convenient for families to participate.

“We are so grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for recognizing the need for enhanced support for individuals undergoing substance use treatment,” says Crouse Addiction Treatment Services Medical Director Tolani Ajagbe, MD, adding that demand for opioid treatment services has increased significantly in the area since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

“Getting services to people where they live, especially during a pandemic, is critically important,” adds Dr. Ajagbe. To address this, the grant will also help support the purchase of equipment and software to provide more robust telehealth services for those who request it.

“These grants demonstrate our continued commitment to support a wide range of organizations like Crouse Health that are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of New York’s most vulnerable,” says Alfred Kelly, Jr., chief executive officer of Visa and chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board.

Crouse Health’s Addiction Treatment Services is the only hospital-based provider of comprehensive substance abuse treatment services in Central New York, having established the region’s first such treatment program in 1962. Construction is currently underway on a new, 40,000 square foot medical office building on Erie Blvd. East, where the service, offices and outpatient programs will be relocated to later this summer.

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the health and well-being of the vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. The Foundation – named in memory of a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor – provides flexible support for new and innovative approaches that enhance health and wellness across New York State. For more information, visit https://www.cabrinihealth.org/