Nassau University Medical Center gets $2.5M in latest round of opioid funding

Nassau University Medical Center has won $2.5 million to expand its drug treatment program as part of the county's latest round of funding to address the opioid crisis. 

The awards announced Monday — $6.8 million — come from $92.5 million the county has received from the state's 2022 settlement of a landmark lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors accused of contributing to addiction. County Executive Bruce Blakeman has pledged $60 million over the next four years to drug prevention, education and treatment.

"We are seeing each and every day the problems with opioid addiction and fentanyl," Blakeman said at a news conference at the executive and legislative building in Mineola. 

NUMC, the county's cash-strapped, safety-net hospital, benefited in July from $8 million in opioid funding to create a "wraparound substance abuse treatment" unit with detox beds, rehabilitation services and monitoring of patients after they leave.

Last year, the hospital saw about 20,000 patients with addiction disorders, NUMC interim President and CEO Megan Ryan said. 

Ryan said the additional money will help build more patient rooms, restrooms, counseling bays, conference rooms and nursing stations on NUMC's 10th floor, which houses the program's inpatient unit. 

"With this money we will be able to treat even more patients and help Nassau County residents," Ryan said. 

Blakeman also announced a $2 million award to Catholic Health to develop a mental and behavioral health program at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre; $1.8 million to the Dix Hills advertising firm Ed Moore to develop a public service campaign on opioids; and $500,000 to the county police department for new fentanyl testing technology.  

Lawrence Eisenstein, Catholic Health's vice president of community and public health, said the funding will "help us bring a better mental health response to our community" by creating a program with social workers in the hospital and in primary care offices to evaluate at-risk patients and health care workers.  

"The pandemic exacerbated what we know was a brewing problem with regards to both opioid use and mental health difficulties in our country," said Eisenstein, who was the county's health commissioner during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Nassau Legislature's Rules Committee voted 7-0 Monday to approve the advertising contract, which does not need the full legislature's consent. It now goes to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state-appointed board that oversees the county's finances, for approval.

The funding for NUMC, Catholic Health and the police department will need approval from legislative committees and the 19-member legislature.

Democrats said they were concerned that Blakeman, a Republican, is not distributing the opioid money quickly enough.  

Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D–Glen Cove) called Blakeman's announcement "a disappointment" and has accused his administration of sitting on money to accrue interest instead of creating more treatment programs. 

“After two years of delays, the agencies that have been promised funding should have been paid in full, and a significant amount of additional funding should also have been released. Neither have happened," DeRiggi-Whitton said. 

Blakeman has said his administration has been "deliberate" in its distribution pace in order to verify the money is used properly.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.