Mental Health and Addiction Services Center Coming to FiDi
A new addiction treatment center is coming to 225 Broadway (right, at the corner of Barclay Street), with plans to treat a range of dependency disorders. During the April 30 meeting of the Quality of Life Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1), Palak Agrawal, a licensed mental health counselor who will oversee the facility, explained, “the goal is to help the community in terms of mental health and substance abuse treatment. The population that we’re aiming for is adolescents through professionals—anyone struggling with any of these issues, which has increased in demand these days.” She added that the plan is to serve both local residents and those who commute to work in Lower Manhattan.
“We will use various approaches, like cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and group therapy, to help build community for clients,” she continued, citing as examples of services the center will offer smoking cessation treatment and services for teens who develop dependency on online gambling, as this becomes increasingly available on phones.
Committee chair Mariama James said, “the main concern for the community would be, are there going to be people loitering in front of the building?”
Ms. Agrawal said, “we will have clients come by appointment, rather than walk-ins. And we are not planning for a huge facility—just 50 to 60 clients.”
Committee member Jill Goodkind asked, “will you be prescribing methadone,” a drug commonly used to treat heroin addiction.
“No,” Ms. Agrawal replied, “but we will be prescribing Suboxone and Vivitrol, which are used to treat opioid-abuse and alcohol-abuse disorders.”
Committee member Jarad Sheer observed, “with all the issues rooted in mental health and addiction that we are experiencing on a daily basis here, I think a facility coming to the area is a good thing.”
At its April 30 meeting, CB1 enacted a resolution saying that the Board “welcomes the proposed services provided by and supports the application” for a license that Ms. Agrawal has filed with the State’s Office of Addiction Services and Support, which oversees such facilities.