The cafeteria at the Tompkins County detox and stabilization center in the village of Lansing. (Photo provided by Emily Parker, Alcohol and Drug Council of Tompkins County's Director of Marketing and Development).
Cortland County legislators sitting on the county’s health and human Services committee recommended on Tuesday an expenditure to help the Tompkins County Detox and Stabilization Center, a service open to Cortland County residents.
The proposed $100,000 in funding returned to committee after the legislature tabled the item for further discussion back in August.
The center, located in the village of Lansing, is operated by the Alcohol and Drug Council of Tompkins County’s (ADCTC) and provides access to detox and stabilization services, as well as further information on treatments and supports for families and individuals struggling with substance use disorder. Individuals from the nine counties surrounding Cayuga Lake, including Cortland County, can access these services.
The center is currently offering limited services as operators continue to battle staffing issues.
The stabilization service is for individuals who seek more counseling after a process of detoxification. Individuals in that program stay at the center for about two to three weeks, and the center has a 40-bed capacity that is split between residents in the detox and stabilization programs.
The funds, which will still have to go through this month’s finance and administration committee and the full Legislature meeting, would be used to cover the cost of hiring a new counselor for a year at a salary of $65,625 and other general operating expenses to the tune of $34,375.
Funding will come from the county’s opioid settlement fund account, which is money given to the county as part of federal and state legal settlements with companies in the pharmaceutical industry. The detox and stabilization center’s allocation makes up close to a third of Cortland’s total settlement fund account.
In previous discussions, legislators have shown concern about ensuring that county residents take advantage of the services enough to justify partially funding the center.
“I want to make sure our fair share is being used in this,” Legislator Joseph Nauseef (R-LD-12) said on Tuesday.
Legislator Paul Heider (R-LD-16) said the center is open to Cortland County residents, adding that the county will ask for data reports on how the center is operating and who uses the service as a condition to grant ADCTC the funds.
