AUGUST 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 29
DASH
STABILIZING ADDICTION CRISES
BY EDEN LAIKIN
AND PATRICK MCINTYRE
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone
had a message during a recent
news briefing for residents feeling
overwhelmed by substance use, mental
illness, and/or other life stressors.
DASH, the New York Metro area’s first
crisis stabilization center, is there to
ensure that anyone in need of addiction
treatment has immediate access
24 hours a day, seven days a week. The
$4.7 million New York State-funded
Diagnostic, Assessment and Stabilization
Hub in Hauppauge will provide
assessment and referral services at
any time — including counseling and
medication-assisted-treatment for
opioid withdrawal. This saves unnecessary
hospitalization and emergency
department visits, provides
jail diversion services, and manages
treatment of coexisting mental health
and substance use disorders.
“Long Island’s first Diagnostic, Assessment,
and Stabilization Hub will
address critical gaps in care, providing
life-saving services for our residents,”
said Bellone.
The program features a mobile response
team of licensed professionals who come
to you, will develop a safety plan, and
if necessary, recommend outpatient
services or a higher level of care.
With schools closed, DASH has not
gotten its usual referrals from school
officials for adolescents experiencing
worrisome symptoms. The center’s
staff worries that parents may not
recognize signs of potentially serious
issues in their children while at home.
“We worry about students expressing
depression or suicidal thoughts,”
said Karen Boorshtein, president of
the Huntington-based Family Service
League, a nonprofit that operates
DASH. “There’s been a huge reduction
in calls for adolescents. They may be
hurting and not letting their parents
know, they may be involved with
drugs and alcohol too.”
Since DASH opened in March 2019,
The DASH staff offers 24/7 addiction crisis stabilization, even during the pandemic.
more than 5,400 children and adults
have been assessed, treated, or provided
with support, according to
Boorshtein. The DASH hotline (631-
952-3333) has received more than
20,000 calls from those in distress.
Its Mobile Crisis Team delivered
much-needed crisis care to more than
1,200 individuals by responding to
locations throughout the community
such as schools, businesses, and
private residences.
Police precincts, criminal courts, and
hospitals are other agencies that refer
DASH services.
“It’s better than referring them to the
emergency room,” Boorshtein said.
“We’ve taken some of the burden off
of the hospitals.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic,
DASH has been offering a lot more
services through telehealth healthcare
assessment technologies and
phone sessions. “If they can be screened
and assessed remotely, we’ll do that.”
“We’ve seen a bit of a drop-off ” in
calls for service, Boorshtein said.
“Short of an acute emergency, people
may say, ‘I can handle it.’ People can
go into denial, too, saying ‘I’m fine,
don’t worry about me.’ But it’s starting
to pick up again… People are starting
to feel a little safer to venture out.”
Boorshtein recalled an anecdote
about a father who tried to bring his
20-year-old son to the DASH center
several times. The son had a history
of substance abuse and mental illness,
was anxious, his life was deteriorating,
he was not taking care of himself,
he had a bad experience at an emergency
room, and he refused to come
inside from the center’s parking lot.
“DASH is a voluntary program,” Boorshtein
said. “Our team kept trying to
engage him in the parking lot. His father
was pleading with us to help him.
Staff kept going out to engage him,
three or four times. Finally, the young
man felt like ‘they’re ok’ and agreed to
come inside for an assessment.
Before someone leaves DASH, staff
will make sure that person has a
follow-up appointment with an appropriate
care provider.
THE
OPIOID
CRISIS
“We make sure there’s a connection
made,” Boorshtein said. “The compliance
rate is far greater when they
have an appointment. We call the
next day and say, ‘Did you go to your
appointment?’ If not, we’ll ask them to
come back in.”
The DASH facility is a collaborative
project between the New York State
Office of Mental Health and the
New York State Office of Addiction
Services and Supports. The DASH
Team includes nurse practitioners
in psychiatry who can write prescriptions,
registered nurses, social
workers, credentialed alcoholism and
substance abuse counselors, and peer
specialists. DASH also works with
individuals experiencing suicidal
thoughts, depression, anxiety, erratic
behavior, interpersonal conflicts, and
workplace or school trauma.
“Such issues are often debilitating,
challenging, and shouldn’t be faced
alone,” Boorshtein said, noting that
DASH accepts most private insurances,
Medicare, Medicaid, and also
offers a sliding scale for costs. “DASH
provides immediate help.”
DASH is located at 90 Adams Ave.
in Hauppauge. It can be reached at
631-952-3333.
PRESS HEALTH
“DASH provides immediate help,” said Karen Boorshtein.
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