Jeffrey Friedman of CN Guidance & Counseling Services Receives Long Island Business News Executive Circle Award

Woodbury, NY – Jeffrey Friedman, chief executive officer of CN Guidance & Counseling Services, was honored on May 16, 2019 with an Executive Circle Award from Long Island Business News at a ceremony at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Mr. Friedman was recognized for his leadership skills, integrity, values, vision, and strong commitment to helping Long Island residents struggling with addiction. Since taking the helm of the organization in 2013, he has headed significant and innovative changes to increase outreach and access to mental health and substance use treatment to communities in need. In the past five years, CN Guidance & Counseling Services has expanded its services from 2,000 to more than 7,000 individuals across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Jeffrey Friedman

CEO of nonprofit CN Guidance & Counseling Services, a behavioral health safety-net organization.

“I am honored to receive this prestigious award from Long Island Business News on behalf of CN Guidance & Counseling Services,” said Mr. Friedman. “We are grateful for this recognition and wish to thank our staff, partners, and supporting organizations that have been working collaboratively and rigorously to help address the opioid crisis locally and beyond.”

Over the past several years, Mr. Friedman has engaged in key discussions with New York State’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) about the importance of access to care for individuals with substance use disorders and the existing barriers to such care, which include limited transportation options on Long Island, lack of available community services, and the stigma associated with visiting substance use clinics. He served a key role in developing a proposal to bring substance use treatment directly to the community for those who need it; this proposal was ultimately funded by OASAS, allowing CN Guidance & Counseling Services to deploy its Mobile Recovery Unit, the first of its kind in Nassau County, in February, 2019.

With 25 years of progressive senior and executive-level leadership serving disadvantaged, at-risk, and vulnerable individuals and communities, Mr. Friedman is a results-producing leader with a passion for assuring sustained services for those in need. His expertise includes strategically assessing and addressing the needs of non-profit health services organizations, individuals, communities, and high-needs populations against a backdrop of fast-paced change in economic, political, and regulatory conditions. Able to balance big-picture strategic planning with day-to-day operations management, Mr. Friedman is also a seasoned grant strategist who has attracted millions of dollars in funding to fuel health and human services programs.

CN Guidance & Counseling Services is the only state Certified Community Behavioral Health Center on Long Island.

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