CFLR In Action

Utica, New York  – Center for Family Life and Recovery is now certified as an Opioid Overdose Prevention Program. The certification by the New York State Department of Health enables Center for Family Life & Recovery to routinely dispense naloxone based on best practices, including overdose prevention training of patients and community members. Certified Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs are part of New Yorkers overcoming substance misuse.

“Increasing naloxone availability saves lives,” said Jodi Warren, Director of Prevention Services at Center for Family Life & Recovery. “Making naloxone easily accessible to our community, who may have friends or family struggling with opioid use, is an important part of New York’s  response to the opioid epidemic.”

More than 93,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S. last year — a record number that reflects a rise of nearly 30% from 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials said the increase was driven by the lethal prevalence of fentanyl as well as pandemic-related stressors and problems in accessing care.

256 People die each day from a drug overdose in the United States. Naloxone (Narcan) is the only lifesaving tool to help someone who is overdosing. Substance Use Disorder or abuse has no discrimination and can affect anyone. Overdose can also happen to anyone; fentanyl can be laced in any drug and is undetectable to the naked eye. Overdose can also happen in other ways than fentanyl and heroin, it can happen from taking to much medication, or by mixing it with another medication or alcohol, it can also happen by ingestion, by touch, it can occur by stepping on a needle laying in the grass or by picking up a bottle that has been used to get high.

Overdose can happen to ANYONE and even pets.

In Oneida county alone, we have over 220 reported overdoses, 39 of those have been reported fatal, 44% of those fatalities were not administered Narcan. These overdoses are what has been reported, which is concerning and devastating alone, but to know their “real” numbers would be further astonishing. Center for Family Life and Recovery, CFLR, is committed to prevention, recovery, and providing hope, healing, education, and awareness, one life lost to overdose is one life to many.

New York State has been a national leader in the response to the opioid crisis, and overdose prevention and awareness efforts date back to 1992 when the first syringe exchange program was authorized by the Department of Health. Since then, New York State has taken a people-centered approach in addressing the comprehensive needs of those who use drugs. The State’s naloxone initiative, launched in 2006, has supported over 25,500 naloxone administrations, with more than 14,000 carried out by community responders to date.

The Department provides overdose supplies, including naloxone, to registered programs. Community responders trained by these programs administered naloxone nearly 2,000 times in 2020. Over the last several years, New York State has worked to increase access to naloxone by having pharmacy standing orders in place for this medication.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert for advocacy, prevention, counseling, and training. As a community partner, it is important to us that we continue spreading the message of help and hope to our area and with those whom we work.

Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness and transform lives. The vision of CFLR is to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709 and ask for Fran Esposito or Katie Burns.

Utica , New York  – “Center for Family Life and Recovery (CFLR), a Mohawk Valley area nonprofit business supporting individuals struggling with addition, mental health, and behavioral concerns, is proud to announce the expansion of counseling services to Onondaga County and beyond.” Director Sara Haag explained.  “With such immediate and widespread mental health needs in many sectors and communities right now during the on-going COVID19 pandemic, we felt now was the perfect time [for us] to do more to support recovery.  On average 1 in 4 adults experience mental health illnesses annually, and this number is expected to be higher during the current pandemic.  Our services are in demand to support many frontliners. We’re pleased to share that CFLR’s brand new Syracuse location soft-opened successfully this month at 5900 North Burdick Street, and we are already offering hope through counseling to individuals, couples and families.”

CFLR is well-known throughout Central New York for providing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services for over three decades. Headquartered in the Utica area of the Mohawk Valley, the nonprofit has additional offices in Utica, Herkimer, and Rome. Earlier this year, CFLR acquired “Liberty EAP,” formerly operated by Liberty Resources, and began to serve Syracuse area clients. CFLR’s EAP serves over 65 businesses and organizations in New York State and beyond by offering EAP – short-term assessment and referral counseling services to covered individuals such as employees and their family members. A leader in workplace wellness and recovery, CFLR’s EAP includes professional development opportunities through training, consulting, on-site critical incident stress de-briefing, and one point of access to all that the nonprofit offers for prevention and recovery assistance.

Counseling services are provided at the Syracuse office through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  Counseling is provided in one of three ways, depending on what the patient would like:  in-person, or virtual (telephonic or video counseling). Virtual support groups are also forming including Pandemic Fatigue – Care for Caregivers, information on groups is available online at www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com/groups

To check benefits and receive help with eligibility for counseling services, including making a counseling appointment for any of CFLR’s locations, please call 1-800-729-6822.  During the COVID19 pandemic, the Syracuse office is open by appointment only.

Employers looking to make EAP available as a benefit to their employees can reach out to EAP@CFLRINC.org  and the sales team will assist with low-cost options for employers to get started with local EAP services.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert for advocacy, prevention, counseling, and training. As a community partner, it is important to us that we continue spreading the message of help and hope to our area and with those whom we work.

“The opening of a new location in Syracuse this month marks the culmination of several months of planning,” CEO Cassandra Sheets said, “we are delighted to help provide another avenue to hope and recovery to the city of Syracuse.”

For more information about CFLR’s prevention, recovery, and behavioral health services and programs, including the EAP, please visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com

Utica, New York – Center for Family Life and Recovery is now a Mental Health First Aid Implementation site. Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues. Center for Family Life & Recovery will be offering an 8-hour Mental Health First Aid course to any interested audiences in their community.  Those trained include educators and school administrators, human resources professionals, members of faith communities, homeless shelter workers, health and human services workers, nurses/physician assistants/primary care workers, police, first responders and security personnel, mental health authorities, policymakers, substance use treatment professionals, social workers, persons with mental illness/addictions and their families and caring citizens.

Mental health is not an on and off button rather a one step at a time to mental well-being.  We all have days of feeling not ourselves, depressed, not being ok, feeling somewhat alone or not quite putting a finger on what the brain is feeling or understanding.  We may also have days of feeling resilient, joyful, loved,  strong and optimistic.  All feelings such as these can come in waves, even tsunamis at times that can overwhelm us, change our thoughts, moods and even our behaviors. Mental Health is our influencer on how we think feel and act, how we love, cope, and have positive social-emotional well-being.  What is important is to let someone know who is struggling is that they are not alone, there is help, hope, and healing is possible.

“Don’t let mental health define YOU, rather YOU define your mental health” Says Jodi Warren, Director of Prevention Services. “We are excited to offer this program to our community.”

Trainings for member of the mental health community are now being offered through The CFLR Professional Training Program.

• 11/5 for youth
• 11/12 for adults

Details:

• Topic will be Mental Health First Aid.
• Time: 8:30am – 4pm, with 30 minute lunch break. Lunch will not be provided.
• Cost: $50 per student, seats are limited to 10 participants per training.
• Location: Center for Family Life & Recovery, 502 Court Street, Suite 401, Utica, New York 13502

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert for advocacy, prevention, counseling, and training.  As a community partner, it is important to us that we continue spreading the message of help and hope to our area and with those whom we work.

Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness and transform lives.  The vision of CFLR is to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery.

To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages. And the second leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and Suicide Prevention Week is September 5-11, 2021. During this and every month, Center for Family Life and Recovery remains committed to spreading awareness of suicide prevention to the community and connecting them to the resources they need.

Center for Family Life and Recovery is the lead agency for the Oneida County Suicide Prevention Program (OCSPP). Our mission is to prevent suicide in our community by strengthening the coordination and accessibility of services; providing awareness of suicide prevention, facilitating intervention and post-prevention services/programs, enhancing support to those affected by suicide, and providing awareness of Mental Health. We work to accomplish these goals in our schools, with our families, and in the community.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.

Center for Family Life and Recovery supports individuals struggling with addiction, mental health and behavioral issues by inspiring hope, providing help, promoting wellness and transforming lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709.

Utica , NY – Recovery is for everyone because it benefits everyone. In recovery, we build new connections to ourselves, our families, and our communities. The 2021 National Recovery Month theme, “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community” reminds people in recovery and those who support them, that recovery belongs to all of us. We are all called to end gatekeeping and welcome everyone to recovery by lowering barriers to recovery support, creating inclusive spaces and programs, and broadening our understanding of what recovery means for people with different experiences.

While it may be tempting to characterize recovery as a universal experience or single journey, our community is proof that there are as many pathways to and of recovery as there are people. Our strength is our diversity and because of who we are, the recovery community has unique opportunities to learn, challenge, grow, and dream. By expanding traditional, limited conceptions of recovery, which center white, heterosexual, cisgender, religious, wealthy perspectives, we enrich everyone’s experience. Mental health and substance use disorder are not one-size-fit all conditions, nor do they affect everyone equally. Culturally competent multilingual resources and gender-expansive programs acknowledge and include LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning), BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and other historically marginalized community members.

Looking beyond our individual experiences strengthens and supports recovery in all its forms. The recovery community has a powerful foundation of mutual aid, peer support, and adaptability. As we grow in empathy and understanding, we save lives by adding protective factors and building resiliency. We honor the incredible contributions from communities within recovery as groups connect and implement resources that serve their unique needs. The powerful bonds built in recovery are life-altering. To honor those bonds, in every form they take, is a significant factor in sustaining recovery as well as building bridges between our communities. When we connect with open minds and hearts, we learn from one another and create life-saving opportunities.

To heal ourselves, our communities must also heal. Recovery Research Institute conducted a nuanced, five-year study that explored the ways in which substance use disorder impacted families, communities, and cultures, and how recovery in those spaces created opportunities to rebuild. The study affirmed that people in distressed communities need opportunities to share their experiences, therefore, personal recovery can translate into collaborative recovery when the individual begins to see their story as part of a larger story. The shift from “I” to “we” is transformative. We call to nurture this “we.” We find new ways of connecting the recovery community. We call to rejuvenate struggling communities and families. At the same time, we work to empower communities who grapple with inequitable conditions, including the effects of systemic racism, homophobia, transphobia, generational poverty, adverse childhood experiences, and other forces. Social connections, family support, and neighborhood relationships are directly linked to wellness and recovery. We must ensure that everyone has the same chance at recovery. Our “I” must become our “we.”

National Recovery Month educates others about recovery from mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders, the effectiveness of treatment and recovery support services, and that recovery is possible. All of us, from celebrities and sports figures to our co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family members, throughout our lives have experienced peaks and valleys, both big and small. And, with strength, support and hope from the people we love, we are resilient.

The focus areas of the 2021 National Recovery Month materials include the impact of communities, families, and social groups on the prevalence and recovery of mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. The National Recovery Month messaging emphasizes the importance of inclusive programs, language, and treatment that lower barriers to recovery for everyone; by challenging traditional structures, we create the foundation that so many people need for their recovery journey.

By asserting that “Recovery is for Everyone,” we reduce the stigma surrounding people with substance use or mental health disorders, especially when complicated by oppressive forces like white supremacy, systemic racism, punitive criminal justice systems, and policy that excludes less privileged people. Recovery is always person-first. “Meeting people where they are at” translates into acknowledging their unique experiences and needs, including people of different cultures, identities, backgrounds, and communities.

Center for Family Life and Recovery, Inc. is proud to be the area’s leading expert for advocacy, prevention, counseling, and training. As a community partner, it is important to us that we continue spreading the message of help and hope to our area and with those whom we work.

Along with supporting individuals and families struggling with addiction, mental health and behavioral issues, CFLR’s goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness and transform lives. The vision of CFLR is to be a leader in creating a world where people have the power to achieve and celebrate recovery.

To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709 and ask for Fran Esposito or Katie Burns.