How to resolve AdBlock issue? SARATOGA SPRINGS – According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a 30 percent increase in opioid overdoses nationwide over the last 14 months.
Yet the addiction team at Saratoga Hospital’s Community Health Center recently received some local relief from the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church (PNECC): a community grant of $25,000 to support its substance-abuse program.
“We cannot express our appreciation enough to Pastor Kate Forer and the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church,” Amy Raimo, executive director of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation and vice president for community engagement, said in a prepared statement. “Their Community Grant Program Committee recognized the critical need for local addiction services and provided us this generous gift to expand our Addiction Medicine program at the Community Health Center.”
The center’s Director of Addiction Medicine, Dr. Joshua Zamer, said: “When an addict is ready to commit to quit, we have to be ready. This $25,000 grant will support services and new clinical space for the growing number of patients who desperately need the compassionate, comprehensive treatment we can provide. We are very grateful to the good people at PNECC.”
According to Forer, also known as Pastor Kate, the Community Grant Program just completed its first year.
“We are committed to making a difference in our local community,” Forer said. “Our application and interview process is quite thorough, and we were impressed with the successful work of the addiction program at the Community Health Center. We’ve seen the destruction addiction can cause families and the human spirit, and we’re glad to do what we can to help.”
The Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Council and Rebuilding Together Saratoga County also received PNECC grants.
The Presbyterian Church is located at 24 Circular Street in Saratoga Springs. Nonprofit organizations are welcome to apply to the Community Grant Program by calling the church office at 518-584-6091.
The Saratoga Hospital Medical Group Addiction Medicine program is located in the Saratoga Community Health Center at 24 Hamilton Street in Saratoga Springs.
For more information about addiction services, call 518-886-5601 or follow the Community Health Center link through the website http://saratogahospital.org.
