NYS OASAS

Free Financial Counseling Helps New Yorkers Take a Pause from Problem Gambling

Are money worries keeping you up? New York's free GamFin service offers financial counseling for those affected by gambling harm—no judgment, just support. This service is a key part of our "Take a Pause" campaign, which encourages New Yorkers to evaluate their gambling behaviors before facing financial challenges. By addressing financial issues first, individuals can focus more effectively on their overall recovery with support from trained counselors. Learn more about this incredible resource in our 75th podcast episode! Tune in to "Free Financial Counseling Helps New Yorkers Take a Pause from Problem Gambling" on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙🎧 https://oasas.ny.gov/free-financial-counseling #EveryStepOfTheWay #AddictionTheNextStep #PGAM2025 GamFin Video description: The podcast guest is seated at a table saying, "When people call in for help, they're typically calling about financial issues. They're not calling to say I have a gambling problem and I want to see a therapist. They say I'm in credit card debt, I owe money all over the place, I need help with my finances. So what we're trying to do now is respond to what they're asking for instead of telling them okay, you called me about your finances, I'm going to tell you to go to treatment. So there's a disconnect there and I think we lost some people. So now we're trying to move up and be able to connect people and say okay, we can help you with that question that you may have about your finances. Right now, we can help you put together a plan, moving forward. Meantime. We're also, in most cases, we are encouraging people to get treatment, to get support services, so they can really move forward in their recovery journey or reduce the harm."

international women's day.mp4

OASAS celebrates Women’s History Month. We honor the incredible achievements of women - past, present, and future. 🎉 #WomensHistoryMonth #EveryStepOfTheWay

The Apartment That Changed Lives Podcast Episode Soundbite

Discover how stable living situations can transform lives during recovery from addiction. Join us for our latest podcast episode featuring James Mutton from CConcern Housing who explains how permanent supportive housing contributes to successful recovery outcomes. We dive into the transformative impact of supportive housing in Coney Island and highlight the importance of community involvement and innovative harm reduction strategies in helping residents thrive. Tune in to "The Apartment That Changed Lives: A Housing Success Story," on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙🎧 https://oasas.ny.gov/apartment-changed-lives-housing-success-story #AddictionTheNextStep #EveryStepOfTheWay Video description: Purple and gold graphic featuring a microphone and soundboard, the OASAS logo, and text that says, "Addiction: The Next Step: Podcast - All New Episode: "The Apartment That Changed Lives: A Housing Success Story." It includes audio of the podcast guest saying, "People were skeptical about a supportive housing program in their neighborhood and we've really changed the viewpoint. When we had our grand opening back in 2019, we had a city councilman at the time came over and he admitted he was a skeptic. He wasn't sure he was supportive of a project like this, and once he saw what we were doing, the beautiful place to live that we're able to provide and the voices of the folks living there, he came out and said you know, this is the model of supportive housing for New York State. I want every project to look like this and to operate like this, so it was a magical moment."

Transforming Addiction Services by Equipping the Workforce Soundbite

What if you could enhance your career without sacrificing your paycheck or undergoing extensive retraining? Find out how the Interdisciplinary Substance Use Addiction Fellowship is addressing the workforce crisis by equipping professionals—doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers, and more—with specialized expertise in addiction medicine. In our latest podcast episode, Tolani Ajagbe from SUNY Upstate Medical University explains how the program provides financial compensation to professionals with a genuine interest in helping others while enhancing their skills. Tune in to "Transforming Addiction Services by Equipping the Workforce" on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. https://oasas.ny.gov/transforming-addiction-services-equipping-workforce #AddictionTheNextStep #EveryStepOfTheWay Video description: The podcast guest is seated, saying, “The doctor that we have in the fellowship is an emergency department trade doctor who has worked in the ED for 24 years, but now she decided she wants to actually do some kind of self-specialization in addiction. So those are the kind of people we open the door for. They have the interest, but they don't have the training.”

Discover how New York is leading the way in integrating comprehensive addiction treatment within its correctional facilities. This episode features insight from Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck and Farnham Family Services Clinical Director Mark Raymond. They discuss the challenges faced, the importance of providing continuity of care, and how New York’s mandate for medication-assisted treatment is changing lives and reducing the stigma surrounding addiction. Tune in to "Addiction Help in NY Prisons: A Bold Approach to Inmate Recovery" on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙🎧 https://oasas.ny.gov/addiction-help-in-ny-prisons #EveryStepOfTheWay #AddictionTheNextStep Video description: The podcast guest is seated saying, "We've got examples where we have people who've been discharged and released from incarceration, who have not went back to jail, who started treatment with us, who are rebuilding connections with their families, who have obtained employment, who are seeing their counselors, and I don't know what's going to happen for everybody or the future, but these are extremely impressive success stories." Cayuga County Sheriff's Office Cayuga County, NY Government Farnham Family Services

Do Something You Love: Find out about the Addiction Professional Scholarship Program to get your education costs covered! More information: https://oasas.ny.gov/addiction-professionals-scholarship-program

ICYMI - this past week, OASAS Commissioner Dr. Cunningham's budget testimony in Albany touched on our new problem gambling campaign, Take a Pause. Be sure to look for our ad Sunday during the big game! #SuperbowlSunday #EveryStepOfTheWay Video description: The commissioner is seated at a table saying the following: "State revenues from casinos and mobile sports betting help empower OASAS prevention efforts to promote and encourage responsible gambling. Our Take a Pause public awareness campaign is airing throughout the NFL playoffs and SuperBowl asking people to examine their betting habits. Our Problem Gambling Bureau has also worked to eliminate barriers to training, collect and study data on gambling behaviors, and enhance problem gambling prevention, treatment and recovery services."

Take a Pause

Are you or someone you know ready to "Take a Pause"? Take a survey on our website to find out. Our latest public awareness campaign highlights steps New Yorkers can take to understand the risks of gambling, particularly for those who participate in mobile sports betting. Head to our website to discover essential tools and resources, including a survey to evaluate gambling behaviors, how to prevent gambling from becoming a problem, information on where to find free financial counseling and more! https://oasas.ny.gov/gambling

Transforming Prevention Services Podcast Episode Soundbite

What happens when a community is deeply affected by a horrific event, and how does it reshape critical services like addiction prevention? Robin Mann, executive director of The Prevention Council of Erie County, joins us to discuss this topic in relation to the tragedy that occurred at Tops supermarket in Buffalo, NY, in May 2022. Robin shares her experiences addressing the community's needs in our latest podcast episode. Learn how prevention work has evolved, moving beyond the "just say no" message to include comprehensive education and skill-building that address the complex realities of affected communities. Join us for a meaningful conversation about resilience, healing, and the power of community support. Tune in to "Transforming Prevention Services After the Buffalo Shooting," on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧🎙 https://oasas.ny.gov/transforming-prevention-services-after-buffalo-shooting #AddictionTheNextStep Video description: The podcast guest is seated in a conference room saying, “In the world of prevention, we teach social skills, we teach the signs and symptoms, we teach the behaviors that come with substance use so that people have heightened awareness of what it is. We really work very hard to minimize the stigma as much as we can so that people who are in need can, you know, receive the services that they need.”

From Stigma to Support Podcast Episode Soundbite

Discover how recovery centers are reshaping lives with insight from Jessica Feliciano, Senior Director of Recovery Services at Samaritan Daytop Village. In our latest podcast episode, Jessica takes us on a journey through the transformative role these centers play in supporting individuals after treatment. From their beginnings with the Bronx Community Recovery Center in 2010 to their present-day impact, learn how peer professionals with lived experience are bridging the gap to crucial community resources like housing and employment. Tune in to "From Stigma to Support: A Journey Through Recovery" on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. https://oasas.ny.gov/stigma-support-journey-through-recovery #AddictionTheNextStep #EveryStepOfTheWay Video: Purple and gold graphic featuring a microphone and soundboard, the OASAS logo, and the text: "Addiction: The Next Step: Podcast - All New Episode: "From Stigma to Support: A Journey Through Recovery." The audio features the podcast guest saying, "The main thing that helped was peer professionals. We have individuals with shared lived experience who have walked the life that they are walking and can assist them in breaking down some barriers, connecting them to some social supports in their community, resources in their community."

Funding the Front Lines Podcast Soundbite

Discover how a groundbreaking scholarship initiative is transforming addiction education. Jennifer Faringer, director of DePaul's National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in Rochester joins us. Since 1946, NCADD has been at the forefront of addiction prevention and education. Jennifer discusses the OASAS Addiction Professionals Scholarship Program and its role in revitalizing the CASAC program in the Finger Lakes region, providing aspiring addiction professionals a debt-free pathway to their careers. This episode offers an inspiring look at how communities and lives are being transformed through innovative educational programs. Tune in to "Funding the Front Lines: Investing in the Finger Lakes CASAC Workforce" on our website or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎙🎧 https://oasas.ny.gov/funding-front-lines-investing-finger-lakes-casac-workforce #AddictionTheNextStep #EveryStepOfTheWay National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Rochester Area Video description: The podcast guest is seated at a table, talking into a microphone, wearing headphones, saying, “Passion and commitment, you know, to wanting to help. So we've always had, in our history of providing this program, kind of the ultimate of diversity. So diversity in terms of ethnicity, in terms of age, in terms of in the field, not in the field. In recovery, not in recovery. So it's different than when you go through a university-based program where everybody comes into a bachelor's or a master's with about the same level of education, with a training program.”