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DUNKIRK – A new drug addiction treatment clinic opened in the City of Dunkirk on Wednesday.
Officials with the nonprofit Acacia Network held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Safe Point Lighthouse clinic.
The clinic will serve an estimated 500 people annually with behavioral health and addiction services that include medication-assisted treatment, counseling, peer support, relapse prevention and mental health care. It will be staffed by counselors, peer specialists, social workers and nurses.
In the United States, overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 in 2021, an alarming 30 percent increase from the year prior. In Chautauqua County alone, non-fatal overdoses had already risen 54 percent and overdose deaths by 18 percent between 2019 and 2020.
Officials say while both data points evidenced a worsening crisis, effective harm reduction strategies contributed to the slower rise in fatalities.
The new facility is made possible through Acacia Network’s partnership with the State of New York and the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports, as well as the City of Dunkirk and Chautauqua County.
Among those in attendance for the opening was the State Office of Addiction Services & Supports Commissioner, Dunkirk Mayor and Chautauqua County Executive, along with officials from Acacia Network.
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