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Opioid Use and Resources

Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know is having a medical emergency

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Tompkins County Opioid Task Force Inviting Applicants for Community Project Grants

The Tompkins County Opioid Task Force has announced $700,000 in available grant funding for community not-for-profit organizations seeking to further address the opioid crisis. The Task Force is seeking applicants who will serve Tompkins County residents by strengthening the local overdose prevention network, expanding harm reduction strategies and improving collaboration, and/or workforce investment.

An application overview is published on the Tompkins County website; applicants are invited to fill out the online application form. 

Deadline: 5:00pm on Friday, June 30, 2023.  

Questions can be submitted to: OpioidTaskForce@tompkins-co.org

Statistics

[This section last reviewed May 5, 2023]

 
NYS Opioid Data Dashboard:


Opioid Quarterly Reports, NYS Counties

These reports include “Opioid overdoses and rates per 100,000 population,” and “Unique clients admitted to OASAS-certified chemical dependence treatment programs.”

 
More information & resources:  NYSDOH Opioid Data & Reports


Calls to 911 for Overdose Emergency

All calls that come into Tompkins County's 9-1-1 center are coded based on the type of the emergency. The code (called a Nature Code) informs the dispatcher on whether to assign the emergency to police, fire, or EMS.  

When the 9-1-1 dispatcher receives a call for medical assistance, they will ask the caller certain key questions to ascertain if the cause might be drug induced based on protocols established by the department’s emergency medical dispatch program. Sometimes the cause is known by the caller, and other times the dispatcher makes the coding decision based on answers to their questions and other circumstances, and years of experience. 

The data used in this graph are total number of calls per month that are coded as "Overdose/Poisoning."

Data source: TC Department of Emergency Response (DoER).


Drug Related Deaths

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Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic substance that is added into illicit street drugs to increase consumption. It is also highly associated with risk of overdose death. The Tompkins County Health Department has issued a Health Alert warning of the high risk of the presence of Fentanyl locally in street drugs.

  • Harmful side effects include
    • sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.
       
  • Signs of overdose include
    • stupor, changes in pupillary size (pinpoint size pupils), cold and clammy skin, cyanosis (blue discoloration of the skin), coma and respiratory failure leading to death. 
       
  • Overdose prevention strategies
    • Never use alone
    • Use fentanyl testing strips as a precaution
    • Carry Narcan and be trained in its use
    • Seek treatment and support


Local services and support


Free Narcan training


Need help finding help? Contact 2-1-1 (1.877.211.8667) for supportive referrals.

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Resources


Emergency

  • Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know is having a medical emergency.
  • Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, Crisis Line, 9-8-8, offers free and confidential crisis counseling, available 24/7.

Prevention

  • Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County is a non-profit agency which provides information, education, counseling and referral services for area residents and organizations. Home page, 607-274-6288
    • Opioid Overdose Prevention Training (Narcan), 607-274-6288. The Council is approved to provide this training and to dispense Naloxone to non-medical persons.  Naloxone is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking heroin (or other opioids) in the brain for 30 to 90 minutes.
  • Sharps Collection and Disposal Sites in Tompkins County
  • Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP): provides comprehensive HIV/AIDS services in the Southern Tier of NY. They provide the Opioid Overdose Prevention Program, which provides individuals with training, a Naloxone kit, and a prescription to be able to carry and dispense this potentially life-saving medication.
  • Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, home page, was established in 1954, to address mental health needs in the Ithaca community.
    • The Jenkins Center for Hope and Recovery is a drop-in center for those who use or have used mental health services. The Jenkins Center provides a safe environment where mental health consumers can relax, have fun with peers, and share information and support.
  • The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports hosts “Project COPE”, a website which promotes overdose prevention and harm reduction education in New York State. The goal of this initiative is to empower people to learn how to prevent overdoses and save lives in their community.
  • Additional resources for prevention services: NYS AIDS Institute Provider Directory


Treatment

  • Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (CARS) Home page, 607-273-5500. CARS offers Open Access Monday thru Thursday from 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Clients need only to bring an insurance card, if they have one.
  • Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County is a non-profit agency which provides information, education, counseling and referral services for area residents and organizations. Home page, 607-274-6288
  • The REACH Project, 607-273-7000. A non-profit operating as a low threshold, harm reduction medical practice in Ithaca. Reach Medical offers a wide range of services including: opioid replacement therapy, medical cannabis certification, Hep C treatment, primary care and behavioral services, in a stigma-free, inclusive setting.
  • NYS Office of Addiction Services & Support (OASAS): Treatment Finder


Recovery

  • Ithaca Community Recovery, A non-profit organization that provides a meeting and activity space for Ithaca’s recovering community. They host a variety of meetings, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon Meetings, Narcotics Anonymous, and more. See their website for schedules.
  • Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, home page, was established in 1954, to address mental health needs in the Ithaca community.
    • The Jenkins Center for Hope and Recovery is a drop-in center for those who use or have used mental health services. The Jenkins Center provides a safe environment where mental health consumers can relax, have fun with peers, and share information and support.


Suicide Prevention

  • Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, offers free and confidential crisis counseling. The Crisis Line is available 24/7 at 9-8-8.
  • The Sophie Fund, Inc., a nonprofit charitable corporation established in 2017 to support mental health initiatives aiding young people in greater Ithaca and Tompkins County. It supports programs and projects; raises awareness and fights the stigma around mental illness and treatment; advances a “zero suicide” ethos in the community; and serves as a community advocate for young people struggling with mental illness. 


National

  • SAMHSA National Helpline FindTreatment.SAMHSA.gov/, 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). The Helpline provides free and confidential information in English and Spanish for individuals and family members facing substance abuse and mental health issues. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The website also has a location finder for the nearest treatment services based on the zip code entered.
  • SAMHSA Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders

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Videos

 << NOTE: If the video does not display properly, click on the title link below the video screen to view it on the video site. >>

Safe Injection Facility presentation to TC HHS Committee- 10/16/2017 from Tompkins County Government on Vimeo.

Health and Human Services - 12/18/2017 - complete from Tompkins County Government on Vimeo.

Opioid Epidemic - 1/4/2018 from Tompkins County Government on Vimeo.

The Caring Community: Ithaca and the Movement for Supervised Injection Facilities

The Caring Community is a short documentary film that tells Ithaca’s story through the words of people who use drugs, elected and law enforcement officials, and healthcare providers. The Caring Community was made by Taeko Frost and Matt Curtis through the nonprofit Sawbuck Films group with generous support from the Henry van Ameringen Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance. View it below or on YouTube.

The Caring Community: Ithaca and the Movement for Supervised Injection Facilities

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Whole Health

Contact Whole Health

Brown Road office (previously referred to as the Health Department building):
55 Brown Rd. 
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-6600

Monday–Friday: 
8:30 AM–4:30 PM

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Green Street office (previously referred to as the Mental Health Department building):
201 E. Green St. 
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-6200

Monday, Thursday, Friday:
8:30 AM–4:30 PM

Tuesday & Wednesday:
8:30 AM–6:00 PM

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Frank Kruppa, Whole Health Commissioner 
Harmony Ayers-Friedlander, Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health
Brenda Grinnell Crosby, Deputy Director of Public Health

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Email Whole Health

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