Higgins, Catholic Health announce $2.37 million-plus in federal funding for new substance use disorder treatment center at St. Joseph Campus

Funding, secured by Higgins in federal budget, supports local need for inpatient treatment

Congressman Brian Higgins was joined Monday by Catholic Health President Mark Sullivan to announce $2,377,172 in federal funding to support additional inpatient treatment beds for those struggling with substance use disorder. The funding, which Higgins secured in the federal budget, will go toward the establishment of Clearview Inpatient Treatment Center at Sisters of Charity Hospital’s St. Joseph Campus in Cheektowaga.

“Too often, individuals and families in urgent need of inpatient treatment have no place to turn,” Higgins said. “Clearview Treatment Center will help to fill that health care gap, providing individuals facing substance use disorder with quality care and the best opportunity for recovery. We commend Catholic Health for its leadership in expanding access to treatment services, and are grateful for the opportunity to secure federal funding that will save lives in Western New York.”

Sullivan said, “On behalf of Catholic Health, we thank Congressman Higgins for recognizing the urgent need for inpatient substance use disorder treatment services in Erie County, and his unwavering support to secure this critical federal funding for Clearview Treatment Services at St. Joseph Campus. The addition of this inpatient facility will give us the opportunity to expand our evidence-based, patient-centered care for treating individuals recovering from addiction, and help us reverse a trend that is claiming the lives of all too many of our family members, friends and neighbors.”

Clearview Treatment Services, set to open in May, will make 40 additional drug and alcohol dependence rehabilitation beds available by converting St. Joe’s fifth-floor medical-surgical wing into a new unit dedicated to substance use disorder treatment.

Higgins’ team said, “This fills a void in 24-hour treatment beds in Western New York. Currently, there are just 132 chemical dependence rehabilitation beds available across the eight-county region. Thirty of those beds will be lost when Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport closes in June.

“From 2019 to 2020 opioid-related overdose deaths in Erie County rose from 156 deaths to 245 deaths – a 57% increase. Over the same period, alcohol-related deaths rose by 26% across the nation. According to the New York State Opioid Annual Report, in 2020 there were 4,273 admissions to opioid dependence treatment programs in Erie County and 1,597 in Niagara County.”

Catholic Health already provides outpatient medication-assisted treatment in Western New York at its Pathways clinics. It maintains 69 beds in an inpatient unit at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston.

Higgins, a member of the bipartisan Congressional Opioid Task Force, led legislation to expand medication-assisted treatment, as well as a bill to expand job training to health professionals specializing in opioid treatment.