2023 Battle of the Classes donation to Mental Health Association Executive Director Steven Cobb (March 30, 2023)

Jamestown High School students raised $6,936.57 for the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County through the 2023 Battle of the Classes.

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb accepted the donation, saying that proceeds will help benefit the MHA’s “Code Blue Warming Center” established earlier this year. He said, “This expansion into homeless/shelter services has created new areas of need the MHA is working to directly address in our community.”

The donation will be used to help make physical updates to the association’s Gateway Center space to provide shower, laundry, and technology services to those in need across the community.

The Battle of the Classes event held last Thursday marked the event’s return to McElrath Gymnasium for the first time since 2019 following two years of an outside competition at Strider Field.

The Class of 2024 was declared the winner, raising $4,125.24 and also placing first in the skills competition. The Senior Class of 2023 raised $1,259.88, the Freshman Class of 2026 raised $885.68, and the Sophomore Class of 2025 raised $666.07.

JHS Battle of the Classes

The 42nd annual Jamestown High School Battle of the Classes takes place tonight.

The event is at 6:30 p.m. in the McElrath Gymnasium. Proceeds from the annual competition will benefit the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County.

The school-wide competition will include games, skills contests, and dance-off.

Over the last four decades, the school has raised over $300,000 for community organizations and charities.

Proceeds will help benefit MHA’s “Code Blue Warming Center” established earlier this year.

MHA executive director Steven Cobb said the donation from JHS students will help to make physical updates to the association’s Gateway Center space to provide shower, laundry, and technology services to those in need across the community.

Those interested in donating can contact Tony Dolce at anthony.j.dolce@jpsny.org. Tickets for the event $2 at the door.

Mayor Sundquist addresses organizations for a homelessness meeting (March 1, 2023)

As two months remain for the two new emergency shelters in Jamestown to provide housing for the homeless, a group working on homelessness is looking at what’s next.

A group of faith-based organizations, social service groups, and other non-profits has been coordinated by Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist to discuss the issue of homelessness in the city.

At an meeting on March 1, the Joy Fellowship and Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County provided an update on how their emergency shelters have been operating. Both facilities are only open during Code Blue situations, where the overnight temperature drops below 32 degrees.

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb said he feels very positive about how things have gone with the shelters, “Today we have celebrated some of the successes we’ve had in providing housing with our Code Blue shelters in Jamestown, both at the MHA and Joy Fellowship. They’ve been very successful. And I think the other positive thing I leave here with is that there is a lot of support in the community to continue this and figure out what comes next.”

Cobb said there was a negative realization over the last couple months, “The folks we are serving in these shelters have enormous needs and at this point in the community we might not have all the resources we need to have in place to foster continued success for the folks in our community who are experiencing homelessness.”

MHA Project Manager Sean Jones said since January 6, there have been 142 individuals who have stayed at the MHA shelter.

Both facilities said they are in need for food donations, especially frozen meals, fresh fruit, yogurt, and milk. They also said donations of sturdy shoes and backpacks for adults are needed.

For more information about donations, contact Joy Fellowship at 716-484-1542 and the MHA at 716-661-9044.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley speaks with Mental Health Association Executive Director Steven Cobb about the FDA possibly approving naloxone to be offered over the counter.

Narcan

The FDA is considering making naloxone available over the counter in the United States.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications,, when given in time.

The panel of Food and Drug Administration experts voted unanimously last week in favor of the switch after a full day of presentations and discussions centered on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in emergency situations.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 106,000 people died of opioid-related overdoses in 2021.

Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County Executive Director Steven Cobb is enthused about the news and said it will help remove stigma, “When you make something over the counter, I think it shows to a broader bunch of people that it’s safe to use and that people can handle using it. And it also makes Naloxone, or Narcan, which is a brand name, just available to a larger segment of the population.”

Cobb said people in New York can already obtain Narcan from a pharmacy without a prescription thanks to a standing prescription order from the State Department of Health, “New York State will cover the co-pay for your insurance, whether it’s private pay insurance or whether it’s Medicaid or Medicare. The pharmacist will put it through on your prescription and then New York State will cover the co-pay for three boxes of Narcan per year per New York State resident.”

Cobb said if the FDA approval goes through, he’d like to see Narcan made available through vending machines anywhere people who use substances gather, including health facilities, libraries, bars, and more.

He stressed that Narcan is not a drug that can be abused, “Unless you have opiates in your system, Narcan will have no effect on you. And there’s no ability to get high. You can’t be poisoned by Narcan. It’s a very safe drug to use for the community, to feel comfortable using, safety-wise there are no issues.”

A vote on the matter by the FDA is expected by the end of March.

For more information about Naloxone and training on how to use it, contact the MHA at 716-661-9044 or visit mhachautauqua.org

Southern Tier West ARC Area Development Program Regional Development Associate Fileve Palmer and MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb (September 20, 2022)

A large crowd of community organizations and elected officials gathered at the Mental Health Association Tuesday to celebrate the award of a $500,000 grant that will help people in recovery return to the workforce.

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb said the two-year federal grant is coming from the Appalachian Regional Commission‘s INSPIRE (Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems) Initiative, “The purpose of that is to develop a recovery ecosystem that supports people in recovery as they return to the workforce, to remove barriers, to provide opportunities for education, and to provide assistance where wrap-around-services don’t traditionally supply assistance.”

Cobb said the grant will enable them to work with businesses to help them develop tools to support employees in recovery as well as helping employees who have family members who are have substance use issues.

He said the program will be implemented across Chautauqua County.

Cobb said St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will be a facet of the grant through the collaboration with MHA on the social-enterprise program, St. Bernard’s Blessed dog biscuits. He said that program will be used as a classroom, “For folks in our community who might need some support in developing skills to go back to work, communications skills, skills insofar as showing up to work, being on time. And we will use the making of these biscuits, the marketing of the biscuits, the packaging, the selling as a classroom to teach people skills that they can take and then go back to work.”

Cobb said another facet of the grant will allow MHA to go into the Chautauqua County Jail to work with inmates transitioning out in order to shorten the gap between their release and going back to work.

He said MHA and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are each matching the $500,000 grant with $250,000 of in-kind services for a total program value of $1 million.

MHA was the only ARC INSPIRE grant recipient in New York State this year.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, MHA in Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb, Small Business Development Center at JCC staff, and Tom Benson

The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce will recognize local leaders and organizations at its Annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, October 6.

Steven Cobb will be honored as Person of the Year. Cobb is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County. He is lauded in the nomination letter for his work with the agency.

Under his direction, the MHA has expanded services by opening an office in Dunkirk and grown the agency’s annual budget by $1 million, with 22 staff members.

The Chamber’s annual Economic Development Award will be presented to the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College. With a staff of five full time certified business advisors and two part time advisors, the staff at the SBDC has seen a bulge in its request for services in the past four years. While it once served 350 small businesses a year, that number is now close to 800 annually.

The SBDC was instrumental in assisting small businesses through COVID relief programs at the federal and state level. Since March of 2020, over $33.5 million was received by area businesses to help with the economic regrowth of the region, and the team at SBDC helped those small businesses create and retain over 2,400 jobs.

Each of the six community Chambers of Commerce will present a Community Service Award during the Chamber Banquet.

The Jamestown Community Chamber of Commerce will present its Community Service Award to Tom Benson. He will be recognized for his part in the revitalization of downtown Jamestown, including his work in recent years with the National Comedy Center.

The Chamber’s Annual Awards Banquet will be held in person at the Williams Center on the campus of the SUNY Fredonia. Advance registration is required and can be done online at www.chamberrsvp.org.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Jamestown Pride‘s Sheridan Smith and Steven Cobb about the upcoming Pride Festival.

WATCH

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

Cecil Miller, UPMC Chautauqua; Breeanne Agett, Chautauqua County Department of Health; Steven Cobb, Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County; Julia Ciesla-Hanley, WRFA.

Since the beginning of August, there have been 24 non-fatal overdoses, and 4 suspected fatal overdoses reported to the ODMAP system. Naloxone (Narcan) was administered after at least 19 of the 24 non-fatal overdoses, and at least 1 of 4 suspected fatal overdoses. All four of the recent suspected fatal overdoses involved heroin or some other opioid. Heroin was the suspected drug listed in 19 of the 24 non-fatal overdose incidents.

On average, Chautauqua County experienced about 20 overdoses per month in 2019. Through July 2020, the County has experienced an average of 29 overdoses per month.

“Over the last year, Chautauqua County Government has collaborated with the Mental Health Association and local law enforcement agencies to improve outreach to individuals who have experienced overdose.” stated Christine Schuyler, Director of Health and Human Services. “We know this program works and these recent overdoses show how critically important it is for everyone to work together and connect people in need to appropriate resources.”

The peer response program provides resources and support to victims of overdose, with a goal of helping them find connection, harm reduction resources, and opportunities for recovery.

Patricia Brinkman, Director of Community Mental Hygiene Services, reminds county residents of the range of prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction services available in Chautauqua County. “We urge people to utilize CombatAddictionCHQ.com to learn more about addiction and to find specific services available throughout our county.”

Chautauqua County government and its partners encourage people who use drugs, and their family members, to take advantage of local resources for harm reduction and recovery. People who use drugs and their families should obtain a naloxone (Narcan) kit if they do not have one on hand, and should be prepared to call 911. Visit CombatAddictionCHQ.com to learn about chemical dependency services available throughout the County.

The New York State 911 Good Samaritan Law allows people to call 911 without fear of arrest if they are having a drug or alcohol overdose that requires emergency medical care or if they witness someone overdosing.

“In the face of an uptick in overdoses that we are experiencing, I encourage people to reduce harm in any way possible. Remember that fentanyl can be in any drug now, not just heroin. Make sure you have Narcan accessible and try not to use alone,” commented Steven Cobb, Executive Director of MHA. “If you’re looking for help with recovery, decreasing use, or using in a safer way, the MHA can connect people anywhere in Chautauqua County with a Recovery Coach by calling 716-661-9044.”

The Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County has many resources to assist individuals suffering substance use disorders and their families. Recovery coaches through the MHA can help people throughout Chautauqua County with recovery, decreasing use, or using in a safer way. Call the MHA at 716-661-9044 or send a message to the MHA Chautauqua Facebook page for assistance, information, or to access Narcan.

Evergreen Health Services offers harm reduction tools including a Syringe Exchange Program, naloxone training and distribution, testing for HIV and sexually transmitted disease, and support for those in crisis. They can be reached by calling 716-541-0678.

If you are with someone who experiences overdose, call 911, and administer naloxone (Narcan) if it is available.