Evergreen Health Services and BestSelf Behavioral Health will each receive up to $500,000 as part of $7 million being awarded to 15 providers across the state.

The funding will help establish comprehensive, low-threshold buprenorphine services. Research shows that buprenorphine is a safe and effective way to treat opioid use disorder, however many providers have rigid requirements for entering and continuing treatment. This can limit the number of individuals who receive this medication. Comprehensive low threshold programs are designed to help address this issue by allowing for same-day, immediate buprenorphine treatment and care management services.

The funding is being distributed through New York State’s Opioid Settlement Fund.

Heritage Health and Housing, Inc. and Evergreen Health (Evergreen) filed the suit in New York County State Supreme Court on Friday, March 24 on behalf of the patients who depend upon 340B for needed health care services.

Heritage operates a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Harlem that provides health care and medications to more than 5,500 patients. Evergreen is an FQHC “look-alike” in Buffalo serving more than 24,000 patients. Heritage and Evergreen are two of many providers who form New York’s healthcare safety-net, providing critical care services to nearly 2.3 million New Yorkers, of whom 71 percent are persons of color, and 89 percent are classified as low-income.

The main source of funding for Heritage and Evergreen is the federal drug pricing program called 340B.

According to an article by Business First of Buffalo, Evergreen Health could see $13 million in annual losses to its $117 million budget. Another local federally qualified health center, The Chautauqua Center, said they would lose $2 million in the carve out. Statewide, health centers are estimated to lose $250 million due to the changes set to go into effect by New York State on April 1, 2023

A report released by the NY Health Plan Association estimates the change will actually increase annual New York State-specific expenditures, costing taxpayers more than $235 million annually. Between the $250 million cut from safety-net providers and the cost to taxpayers, the 340B “carve-out” will have a near $500 million dollar negative impact.

TCC CEO Mike Pease said through the 340b program, TCC has the ability to offer prescriptions at a greatly reduced price for patients, “And the second thing is, it offers another form of income for organizations like us as well as other health centers, hospitals systems, Ryan White clinics, most of us participate in this program. And we reinvest those dollars into programs like care coordination, case management, transportation, translation services – things we don’t traditionally get reimbursed for.”

Pease said while this is a federal program, former Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s 2021 budget introduce a measure to “carve out” the savings healthcare facilities receive and directed it back into the state coffers. That measure was put on hold due to the Pandemic, but is now part of Governor Kathy Hochul‘s budget and is set to go into effect April 1.

Pease said if this goes forward, it means a loss of over $2 million for TCC. According to a report by Buffalo Business First, Buffalo-based Evergreen Health could see $13 million in annual losses to its $117 million budget due to the changes. Business First reports that the change is expected to usher in a $250 million funding loss statewide, and hospitals across New York are predicting losses of $240 million. Pease said this also would affect UPMC Chautauqua and Brooks Memorial Hospital who have their own pharmacy programs.

Pease said TCC is part of the Save New York’s Safety Net Coalition, which has come up with an alternative proposal for the State Legislature, “On how we could continue to get the benefit of the program as health centers but also we would ensure that the program’s guidelines are being met from the standpoint of reinvesting those dollars into programs that are supportive, things like that. So, there is a way that this could benefit both the state, the community – which is the most important, as well as us as providers of those services.”

Pease added that both State Senator George Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell have been supportive of the continuance 340b program.

YWCA Jamestown’s Broadscast features members of the local YWCA Jamestown team – Hillary Belin, Indo Quinones, Alize Scott, and Cienna Simon – discussing a variety of issues and topics with various guests from the Jamestown and Chautauqua Region.

This episode features YWCA cohost Indo Quinones focuses on Housing Issues faces residents in poverty in Jamestown and Chautauqua County. Guests include:

• Nanci Okerlund – YWCA Jamestown, Transitional Housing Director
• Kizzy Tell – Evergreen Health, Housing Services Manager
• Andrea Davis – Evergreen Health, Housing Services Coordinator
• Jade Shirey – Community Advocate and Educator on Lead Poisoning

The Broadscast program covers a wide range of topics, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) issues; racial justice and civil rights; empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls; and health and safety of women and girls. It is provided through funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

WATCH VIDEO

It was moderated by WRFA Public Affairs Director Julia Ciesla-Hanley.

The discussion was broadcast live on WRFA radio, with video streaming available on the WRFA Youtube Channel – www.Youtube.com/WRFALP.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

The clinic will take place at Evergreen Health located at 320 Prather Avenue.

The vaccine is given in a two dose series, 28-35 days apart. As such, a second dose vaccine clinic will be scheduled for Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Individuals are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of vaccine.

Public Health Director Christine Schuyler said while there are no confirmed cases of monkeypox in Chautauqua County yet, there have been over 3,800 confirmed cases in New York State.

Chautauqua County residents must meet current eligibility criteria set by New York State in order to register for an appointment. Vaccine clinic attendees do not need to be Evergreen Health patients in order to receive vaccine. Attendees must be at least 18 years old and are asked to bring photo ID. Face masks will be required.

Eligible individuals can register here: https://bit.ly/MonkeyPoxCHQ

According to the NYSDOH, those eligible for monkeypox vaccine at this clinic include:

• Individuals with recent monkeypox exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of monkeypox in the past 14 days.
• Those at high risk of a recent exposure to monkeypox, including members of the gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming community and other communities of men who have sex with men and who have engaged in intimate or skin-to-skin contact with others in the past 14 days in areas where monkeypox is spreading.
• Individuals who have had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, including men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application (“app”), or social event, such as a bar or party.
• Any individual that may be at risk of future exposure to infection with monkeypox, even though they are not at high risk of a recent exposure to monkeypox.

The Health Department strongly encourages anyone with symptoms consistent with monkeypox, especially lesions or a characteristic rash among individuals at risk of monkeypox, to be assessed by their health care provider.

For more information on monkeypox, please visit https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/monkeypox/

From January through April 2022, there were 96 reported cases of gonorrhea in Chautauqua County. This figure is 2.4 times greater than the 40 infections reported in 2019, and numbers grew progressively higher with each year.

Health and Human Services Director Christine Schuyler said, “Because of COVID restrictions in 2020 and 2021, STI screening numbers were lower than normal. Despite limited access to screening and testing resources, gonorrhea numbers climbed in 2020 and 2021. Experts suspect that there were and are many more cases in the community that have gone undetected. Our department recommends that sexually active community members seek out testing and treatment for STIs.”

During the first four months of this year, gonorrhea was most common among people ages 20-39 (68% of all reported infections), and cases reported were 58% female and 68% male. During the same time frame, chlamydia infections reported were most common among 15-29 year olds (74% of total infections), and were 68% female and 32% male.

Gonorrhea is a common STI that can infect both males and females. It is a very common bacterial infection that is treatable with medication. If left untreated, gonorrhea can cause very serious and permanent health problems. If you are pregnant and have gonorrhea, you can pass the infection to your baby during delivery. Talk to your doctor, get tested, and treat gonorrhea as soon as possible.

Other sexually transmitted infections include, but are not limited to, Chlamydia, Herpes, HIV/AIDS, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection, and Syphilis. STIs, which are preventable, pass from one person to another through vaginal, oral, and anal sex.

People who are sexually active are encouraged to contact their primary healthcare provider for testing and treatment. If you do not have a primary healthcare provider, you can get tested at The Chautauqua Center (TCC), which has locations in Jamestown and Dunkirk, or Evergreen Health in Jamestown.

The Chautauqua Center (TCC)
· 107 Institute Street, Jamestown; 716-484-4334
· 75 East 3rd Street, Dunkirk; 716-363-6050

Evergreen Health Services (age 18 and over)
· 320 Prather Avenue, Jamestown; 716-664-7855

The event for the LGBTQ+ community, sponsored by Evergreen Health, will feature entertainment, food, and education.

The Pride Steering committee is holding a social gathering that’s open to the public at 5:15 p.m., Friday, March 25, followed by a community meeting at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the event. Both will be held at the Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County located at 31 Water Street.

The meeting also will be available by Zoom at https://temple.zoom.us/j/97825175549

For more information, contact Pride Coordinator Sheridan Smith at 716-397-9326 or by email at JamestownPride@mhachautauqua.org

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley talked to County Mental Hygiene‘s Steve Kilburn and Evergreen Health‘s Ian Eastman about how drug overdose deaths are up significantly for 2021.

Kilburn said when it comes to fentanyl the illicit drug supply in the county is deadlier than ever.

Evergreen Health Exchange Coordinator Ian Eastman said fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin, “When a person has more of an opioid in their system than their system can tolerate, it’s going to shut off the breathing, right, it’s going to retard that breathing and create that emergency situation.”

Eastman said having Narcan available can help prevent fatal overdoses, “It’s probably easier than ever to get Narcan. Some of the ways that you can do is that you can access that by going to my program at Evergreen Health. We’re located at 320 Prather Avenue. We’re there 10 to 4. We can train a person in how to use Narcan and prevent an overdose. It only takes ten minutes to learn how to do that.”

Kilburn said what needs to happen now is increasing the availability of Narcan as well as proven harm reduction programs like the Mental Health Association‘s OD Map Peer Response project, “This project is one in which when the MHA are made aware of an overdose, they make an attempt to reach out to the individual and their family, offer resources support. You might imagine that the receptivity to that varies from perhaps from ‘No thank you’ to ‘What’s out there, what can I do?'”

Kilburn said a full range of local resources can be found online at CombatAddictionCHQ.com.