An organization that helps people take the first step toward addiction recovery wants people to know it is still here.
Self-isolation and social distancing can arguably be the biggest allies in fighting COVID-19, but it can also be a formidable foe for those battling substance abuse.
Many no longer have access to the in-person support they so desperately need.
Hope Not Handcuffs, an organization that's teamed up with many local police departments to offer a helping hand to those seeking out treatment, has moved its mission to help with a phone call.
"I still feel the same compassion with them when I’m on the phone with them, I just wish they could see my expression and feel that we are here for them and we're not going to give up,” says Christina Michie, of Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley.
On top of police connecting them by telephone, anyone who needs assistance can request it on the organization's website and a volunteer will reach out as soon as possible.
Since the outbreak began, Hope Not Handcuffs says it has helped get 10 addicts in both Orange and Rockland on the path to recovery.
"A lot of people are struggling, and I just want it to be clear, that we are there to help people. Even with all this going on, it's business as usual,” says Cathy Kennedy, of Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley.
One of the facilities it turns to for assistance is Montefiore Nyack.
"We offer detox, in-patient rehab and outpatient treatment. So we're here. We're open. We're available to any patient seeking addiction treatment,” says Deborah Zerner, director of the recovery center at Montefiore Nyack.
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