New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports

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The Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) is an agency of the New York state government overseeing addiction prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services across New York. [1] It is part of the pro forma Department of Mental Hygiene along with the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).

Contents

It regulates and funds a statewide network of certified providers, operates 12 state-run treatment centers, and serves over 700,000 individuals annually. OASAS sets standards for addiction care, distributes state and federal funding, and coordinates strategic initiatives to address substance use and problem gambling, including programs for underserved populations, harm reduction outreach, and peer-based recovery support.

Treatment

OASAS oversees a comprehensive continuum of treatment programs for substance use and gambling disorders ranging from outpatient services to intensive residential care. OASAS itself directly operates 12 Addiction Treatment Centers staffed by medical and clinical professionals, providing state-run inpatient and residential treatment for approximately 5,000 individuals each year. [1] The vast majority of services, however, are delivered by community-based programs run by nonprofit agencies and hospitals under OASAS oversight. Within the certified treatment system alone, nearly 200,000 individuals receive substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in a given year. [2]

Prevention

OASAS supports evidence-based programs in schools and communities targeting underage drinking, drug misuse, and gambling. [3] It funds regional Prevention Resource Centers and community coalitions that deliver education, workshops, and training sessions, and helps coordinate local prevention activities and public awareness campaigns. [4] [5]

Workforce development

OASAS oversees workforce development in the field: it establishes qualifications and administers professional credentialing for substance abuse counselors and prevention specialists, and provides training to improve the competence of the workforce. [1] Professional credentialing includes Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASACs), Credentialed Prevention Professionals (CPPs), Credentialed Prevention Specialists (CPSs), and Credentialed Problem Gambling Counselors (CPGCs). [6] Within the Education Department, the State Board for Mental Health Practitioners licenses the mental health counselors (LMHCs) and the State Board for Social Work licenses the social workers (LMSWs, LCSWs) that are integral to addiction treatment and recovery support.

SHIN-NY

The Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY, pronounced "shiny") is a health information exchange that allows healthcare providers to access and share patient data, managed by the nonprofit New York eHealth Collaborative. There are several regional health information organizations such as Hixny.

History

The Department of Mental Hygiene was established in 1926–1927 as part of a restructuring of the state government, and was given responsibility for people diagnosed with mental illness, intellectual disability, or epilepsy. [7] [8] [9] In 1961 a Division of Alcoholism was created by executive order within it. In 1962 the Metcalf‐Volker Act provided for the civil commitment of narcotics addicts. [10] [11] In 1966 the Narcotic Addition Control Commission (NACC) was established within the Department of Mental Hygiene to oversee a statewide program for the compulsory treatment, prevention, and research of drug addiction, including court-ordered rehabilitation in state-run facilities and community-based outpatient clinics. [12] [13] In 1973, NACC was renamed the Drug Abuse Control Commission (DACC), expanding its authority to include other dangerous drugs while shifting outpatient supervision to probation departments. [14] [15] In 1975 it was further renamed the Office of Drug Abuse Services. [16]

In 1978, the Department of Mental Hygiene was reorganized into the autonomous Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASA), and the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD). [17] [9] In 1989 the Statewide Anti-Drug Abuse Council was created by executive order. [18] In 1992, the Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (DAAA) and Division of Substance Abuse Services (DSAS) were merged into the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). [19] [20] In 2012, the Protection of People with Special Needs Act (PPSNA) established the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs to create uniform safeguards for people with special needs served in residential facilities and day programs by provider agencies that are operated, licensed, or certified by a multitude of state agencies, including the OMH, OASAS, and OPWDD. [21] [22] In 2019 the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services became the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). [23] [24] [25] The Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions was established in affiliation with the University at Buffalo in 1970 for the conduct of biological, psychological, and social research on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of alcoholic disorders. [26]

List of commissioners

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About". New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Burke, Constance (23 August 2022). "OASAS System Overview and Data Presentation" (PDF). New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Prevention". New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "Regional Support Services". New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Addiction: In the Know Public Awareness Campaign". New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Professional Credentialing". New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "An Act to amend the insanity law…". Laws of the State of New York Passed at the Sessions of the Legislature . 150th sess.: I-II: 981–1082. 1927. hdl:2027/uc1.b4378095. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 426, enacted 30 March 1927, effective 30 March 1927. See also L.1909 c.32 and L.1972 c.251.
  8. ↑ NYS Executive Department (30 March 1927), New York State bill jackets - L-1927-CH-0426, New York State Library
  9. 1 2 Ward, Robert B. (2006). New York State government. Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series (2nd ed.). SUNY Press. pp. 328–329. ISBN   1-930912-16-1.
  10. ↑ "Metcalf-Volker Act". Laws of New York . 185th sess.: I: 957–974. 1962. hdl:2027/uc1.b4378117. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 204, enacted 21 March 1962, effective 1 July 1962 and 1 January 1963.
  11. ↑ US Senate Committee on Government Operations (4 March 1965). Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics (Report). US GPO. pp. 81–85. Senate Report No. 72, 89th Congress, 1st Session. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  12. ↑ "Narcotic Control Law". Laws of New York . 189th sess.: I: 758–780. 1966. hdl:2027/uc1.b4378123. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 192, enacted 6 April 1966, effective 1 April 1966 and otherwise.
  13. ↑ Luger, Milton (1971). "An Attack on Drug Abuse Problems: The New York State Narcotic Addiction Control Commission". Journal of Drug Issues . 1 (1): 97–102. doi:10.1177/002204267100100113.
  14. ↑ "An act … in relation to the drug abuse control commission…". Laws of New York . 196th sess.: II: 2190–2239. 1973. hdl:2027/uc1.b4378138. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 676, enacted 11 June 1973, effective 1 September 1973.
  15. ↑ NYS Executive Department (11 June 1973), New York State bill jackets - L-1973-CH-0676, New York State Library
  16. ↑ NYS Executive Department (1975), New York State bill jackets - L-1975-CH-0667, New York State Library
  17. ↑ NYS Executive Department (11 August 1977), New York State bill jackets - L-1977-CH-0978, New York State Library
  18. ↑ Executive order no. 120: establishing the statewide anti-drug abuse council
  19. ↑ "An act … in relation to the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services …". Laws of New York . 215th sess.: II: 2803–2842. 1992. hdl:2027/nyp.33433108121405. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 223, enacted 23 June 1992, effective immediately and otherwise.
  20. ↑ NYS Executive Department (23 June 1992), New York State bill jackets - L-1992-CH-0223, New York State Library
  21. ↑ "Protection of People with Special Needs Act". Laws of New York . 2012. ISSN   0892-287X. Chapter 501, enacted 17 December 2012.
  22. ↑ Counsel to the Governor (17 December 2012), NYS Bill and Veto Jackets: 2012, Chapter 501, New York State Archives
  23. ↑ "NYS OASAS Announces Name Change From the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services to the Office of Addiction Services and Supports" (Press release). OASAS. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  24. ↑ L. 2019, c. 281, enacted 13 September 2019. A7347, 2019-2020 legislative session.
  25. ↑ Counsel to the Governor (13 September 2019), NYS Bill and Veto Jackets: 2019, Chapter 281, New York State Archives
  26. ↑ H T Blane (1 December 1987). "The Research Institute on Alcoholism, Buffalo, New York". British journal of addiction. 82 (12): 1307–1315. doi:10.1111/J.1360-0443.1987.TB00433.X. ISSN   0952-0481. PMID   3480746. Wikidata   Q68781544.
  27. ↑ "Marguerite Saunders Obituary". Albany Times Union. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Message from the Chair". NYS Assembly. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Former Commissioner to head national addiction group". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Arlene González-Sánchez". Schneps Media. 3 December 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Meet the Executive Staff". NY Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Retrieved February 27, 2023.

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