Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel delivers State of the County address (March 22, 2023)

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said the county is “on the precipice of greatness” in his  State of the County address.

Wendel said the 2022 contribution to the general fund balance was $19.4 million, “This contribution is created in part by holding our teams to fiscally responsible budgets, an increase in the tax foreclosure auction, an overdue settlement of the tribal compact, as well as continued success in our sales tax revenue. With the work of our fiscal team and my guidance, we’ve been able to provide a tax rate reduction for the last two years, totaling 71-cents per thousand while maintaining the ability to provide contributions to the fund balance.”

Wendel said the fund balance contributions over the last three years have met and exceeded recommended levels under the five-year financial management plan.

He said there were record investments in the county in 2022, “The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency reported 50 approved projects with a combined total of $501 million of committed investments. The committed investments will create nearly 300 new jobs, retain an additional 774 existing jobs, and create construction projects and construction jobs throughout our county.”

Wendel also cited the restructuring of the Department of Mental Hygiene with the Department of Social Services, that included the separating of the Department of Health out as a separate department. He also recognized the Sheriff Department‘s new Unsolved Cases Teams that has resulted in new leads on homicides and missing persons cases.

Securing state and federal funds for the phase two expansion of the West Side South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, was another highlight for Wendel, “I remain committed to improving our water and sewer infrastructure around Chautauqua Lake. And this phase two will divert an estimated 62 million gallons of wastewater a year to the proper wastewater treatment facilities.”

Wendel said he’s continuing to advocate for healthcare in the north county, including contacting Governor Kathy Hochul‘s office to push for funding to be released for the Brooks Memorial Hospital project.

He also said the county and Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency are working on creating a 150 acre shovel ready industrial site in the western part of the county.

Wendel cited record inflation, unfunded state mandates like Medical Assistance Treatment at the County Jail, as well as the possible clawback of over $4 million in Enhanced Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentages in the proposed state budget as challenges facing Chautauqua County.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel’s State of the County slideshow – March 20, 2023

The Sheriff’s Office is working with the Chautauqua County Forensic Investigation Team and the Mercyhurst Forensic Anthropology department in this investigation. Further details will be released as they become available

Pictured: Steven Cobb, Executive Director, and Sean Jones, Recovery Coach for the Mental Health Association preparing recovery bags to be distributed to community members who have experienced an overdose.

SUBMITTED MEDIA RELEASE

MAYVILLE – There’s a new effort underway in Chautauqua County to respond to non-fatal overdose events with support and resources for recovery.

A true collaborative effort has led to the development of a program which will connect people who have experienced an overdose with a peer from the Mental Health Association within 48 hours. The project began in Jamestown this week. If the program is successful, County officials hope to expand efforts to all of Chautauqua County.

Over the past year, the Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services (CCDHHS) has been working to engage law enforcement and emergency responders in a program that provides real-time surveillance and mapping of known and suspected overdose events.

The Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) was developed and is operated by the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program. The program is available nationwide, free of charge to public officials who aim to gather better data on fatal and non-fatal overdoses in their communities, and to design meaningful response plans for citizens in need.

ODMAP’s creators intended for it to result in better collaboration between public health agencies responding to the opioid crisis, and law enforcement agencies who frequently encounter and respond to overdose events in their communities.

“Getting ODMAP up and running in Chautauqua County has been a goal of our department since the summer of 2017,” stated Christine Schuyler, Chautauqua County Director of Health and Human Services. “We are eager and excited to see how this program can help us respond to the needs of our residents in a meaningful way, while collecting important data that will help us monitor the opioid epidemic.”

“This pilot offers us the opportunity to offer hope to those battling opioid addiction when they are vulnerable and potentially most receptive to the powerful message that treatment works and recovery is possible,” said Patricia Brinkman, Director of the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene.  “The peer recovery coach offers assistance in navigating the service system as well as one on one support throughout the process. The hope is this new approach will increase the number of individuals who choose to enter treatment following overdose,” continued Brinkman.

For this pilot project in Chautauqua County, the process begins when an officer of the Jamestown Police Department enters basic information about the overdose (fatal/non-fatal status, doses of Narcan given, and suspected drug) into the mobile-friendly ODMAP website. CCDHHS staff monitor the map daily for overdoses that occur in Jamestown, and request information about the overdose from the police department. When contacted by CCDHHS, the Mental Health Association (MHA) deploys a peer recovery coach to connect with the person and offer services as well as a care package.

The true value of the interaction is the connection between the peer and the person who recently experienced an overdose. The peer offers connection to services at MHA and other agencies throughout the community, including providers of Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT). Care packages being distributed are a token of support for those who are interested in getting involved with MHA, and for those who are not quite ready to make a change.  The packages and their contents serve as a reminder that help is available and how they can access help. The package includes information about local recovery resources, education about recovery, chap stick, and a healthy snack.

“The MHA is excited to be able to use Certified Peer Specialists to connect with our neighbors who have experienced an overdose. We meet people where they are at to develop a path of wellness and recovery. Recent studies have shown that people who connect with peer coaches have reduced rates of relapse and reduced substance use,” commented Steven Cobb, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association. “Everyone needs chances to recover.  Our peers will be able to help navigate our treatment system to make recovery easier.  This is a big step forward for recovery in our community.”

Several law enforcement and emergency response agencies are on board with the ODMAP effort, and work is ongoing to obtain full participation across the county. The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, the Jamestown Police Department, the Lakewood-Busti Police Department, and Alstar Ambulance Services were a few of the early adopters in the County.

The ODMAP Peer Response project mirrors similar work being done in Erie County by the Cheektowaga Police Department and the Erie County Department of Health.In December of 2018, Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello’s Countywide Alliance for Enforcement and Rehabilitation (CAER) issued a report recommending a number of measures be implemented to better address the county’s drug crisis. One of those recommendations called for the creation of a peer response program in Chautauqua County which has now come to fruition.

Several partners have assisted in the design and implementation of this project, including Alstar EMS, Chautauqua Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council, the Chautauqua County Departments of Emergency Services, Health and Human Services, Mental Hygiene, the County Executive’s, District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Offices, Chautauqua Opportunities Incorporated, Evergreen Health Services, Erie County Department of Health, HOPE Chautauqua, Jamestown Police Department, Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County, New York State Department of Health, UPMC Chautauqua, and Southern Tier Emergency Medical System, as well as various police and fire agencies throughout the county.

The ODMAP Peer Response project is supported by 1 NU90TP921994 (Public Health Opioid Crisis), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.