A dual county initiative, the coalition is jointly chaired by
Jason Fredenberg, PsyD, Director of Community Services in Greene County, and
Michael Cole, Director of Community Services in Columbia County.
If you struggle with substance abuse and are seeking addiction prevention resources, please contact us.
- Alcohol Abuse Prevention
- Drug Abuse
- Stimulants
- Opioids
- Prescription Painkillers
Any and all types of drug abuse should be taken seriously. Columbia-Greene Addiction Coalition provides those struggling with the support and comprehensive treatment they need to end their use and begin a life of recovery.
The CGAC Aims to:
- Raise Awarenessabout the risks associated with drug and alcohol use
- Educate the Communityabout prescription and illicit drug abuse and its impacts
- Plan and Deliverprevention and harm reduction programs and activities
- Promote and Use Best Practicesfor treating pain and addiction
- Ensure There are Adequate Supportsfor treatment and recovery
How CGAC Will Accomplish These:
- Stimulatinginformation exchange and partnerships
- Collecting, Analyzing and Reporting Dataabout prescription and illicit drug abuse and its impact
- Conducting Outreach and Educational Eventsfor the general public
- Deliveringprevention programs to school-age children
- Identifying and Supportingpolicies that support access to treatment
Current Members of the CGAC Include:
- Primary &Specialty HealthcareProviders
- Mental HealthService Providers
- Alcohol/SubstanceAbuse TreatmentProviders
- Pharmacies
- Dentists
- Public Health/PreventionRepresentatives
- HigherEducation
- LawEnforcementAgencies
- CriminalJusticeOrganizations
- IndividualsAffected byAddiction
We aim to enlist new members by conducting targeted, often one-on-one outreach to key stakeholders, organizing public education events and creating a “speakers bureau” to present to civic organizations such as rotary clubs, firehouses, etc. Ultimately, our coalition wants to engage all sectors of our communities, and that’s where you come in! Contact Us today, to see how your community organization can help.
Our History
Our organization was formed in the summer of 2013 as the “Columbia-Greene Controlled Substance Awareness Task Force”. Initiated by Columbia Memorial Hospital, our members included Columbia and Greene County Directors of Community Services, Columbia and Greene County Health Departments, Columbia and Greene County Sheriff’s Departments, NYS Police, District Attorneys for Columbia and Greene Counties, Twin County Recovery Services, Healthcare Providers, and Educators.
In June of 2018, the task force was renamed the “Columbia-Greene Addiction Coalition”.
Past activities of the coalition include:
- Two education and outreach dinners.
- In-classroom prevention programming coupled with a poster contest in multiple schools, in both Columbia and Greene Counties.
- Safe disposal boxes for prescription medications at multiple locations in Columbia and Greene Counties.
- Improved guidelines and processes for substance use contracts, urine drug screening, scales of functional pain assessments, opioid risk tools, and protocols for treating narcotics patients system-wide.
- Forging positive working relationships between the health system and outside providers to ensure seamless transitions of care for shared clientele.