New York state attorney general visits CN Guidance & counseling to show support for efforts to fight the opioid epidemic

Hicksville, NY (April 10, 2019) – Amidst an opioid crisis which has ended the lives of thousands of Long Islanders over the last decade,  NY State Attorney General Letitia James visited CN Guidance & Counseling to see the facility, the new mobile unit and hear more about the work being done to battle this epidemic.

The Attorney General, who recently launched a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company behind OxyContin, https://nypost.com/2019/03/28/ag-letitia-james-announces-suit-against-billionaire-family-behind-oxycontin/ is on a mission to solve the problem of opioid addictions and overdoses which lead to an average of nine opioid-related deaths daily in New York State.

CEO Jeffrey Friedman, COO Nancy Manigat, Board President James O’Brien, and Board Vice President Audie Kranz led the AG through the clinic and talked to staff about their particular roles at the agency.  James saw a group room, exam room and interacted with clients in the peer-run Starry Night Café.  Afterward the tour moved outside for a look inside the new Mobile Recovery Unit (funded through the NYS Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services – OASAS), where the mobile team explained its role and the vehicle’s treatment features such as tele-psychiatry.

The AG and CEO then spoke to the press about the importance of CN Guidance and the mobile unit in addressing the opioid problem.

Jeffrey Friedman

CN Guidance CEO

“We are very grateful to the Attorney General and appreciate all her efforts,” said Jeffrey Friedman. “This was a very important visit that will bring much-needed attention to the opioid crisis and the great work the agency does to combat it.”

See below for a link to some of the media coverage.

https://www.newsday.com/long-island/oxycontin-nassau-suffolk-leticia-james-1.29644987#user=56bba1eb18ff43a1248b9386&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Morning-Update

About CN Guidance

Established in 1972, the purpose of CN Guidance & Counseling Services, a nonprofit organization, and the only state Certified Community Behavioral Health Center on Long Island, is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families on Long Island affected by mental health and/or substance use disorders by recognizing and addressing the integration of behavioral health and physical health. The organization leverages a holistic perspective, driven by its belief in the ability of every individual to recover.