N.Y. MHY Law § 19.01

§ 19.01 Declaration of policy.\n The legislature declares the following:\n Alcoholism, substance abuse and chemical dependence pose major health\nand social problems for individuals and their families when left\nuntreated, including family devastation, homelessness, and unemployment.\nIt has been proven that successful prevention and treatment can\ndramatically reduce costs to the health care, criminal justice and\nsocial welfare systems.\n The tragic, cumulative and often fatal consequences of alcoholism and\nsubstance abuse are, however, preventable and treatable disabilities\nthat require a coordinated and multi-faceted network of services.\n The legislature recognizes locally planned and implemented prevention\nas a primary means to avert the onset of alcoholism and substance abuse.\nIt is the policy of the state to promote comprehensive, age appropriate\neducation for children and youth and stimulate public awareness of the\nrisks associated with alcoholism and substance abuse. Further, the\nlegislature acknowledges the need for a coordinated state policy for the\nestablishment of prevention and treatment programs designed to address\nthe problems of chemical dependency among youth, including prevention\nand intervention efforts in school and community-based programs designed\nto identify and refer high risk youth in need of chemical dependency\nservices.\n Substantial benefits can be gained through alcoholism and substance\nabuse treatment for both addicted individuals and their families.\nPositive treatment outcomes that may be generated through a complete\ncontinuum of care offer a cost effective and comprehensive approach to\nrehabilitating such individuals. The primary goals of the rehabilitation\nand recovery process are to restore social, family, lifestyle,\nvocational and economic supports by stabilizing an individual's physical\nand psychological functioning. The legislature recognizes the\nimportance of varying treatment approaches and levels of care designed\nto meet each client's needs. Relapse prevention and aftercare are two\nprimary components of treatment that serve to promote and maintain\nrecovery.\n The legislature recognizes that the distinct treatment needs of\nspecial populations, including women and women with children, persons\nwith HIV infection, persons diagnosed with mental illness, persons who\nabuse chemicals, the homeless and veterans with posttraumatic stress\ndisorder, merit particular attention. It is the intent of the\nlegislature to promote effective interventions for such populations in\nneed of particular attention. The legislature also recognizes the\nimportance of family support for individuals in alcohol or substance\nabuse treatment and recovery. Such family participation can provide\nlasting support to the recovering individual to prevent relapse and\nmaintain recovery. The intergenerational cycle of chemical dependency\nwithin families can be intercepted through appropriate interventions.\n The state of New York and its local governments have a responsibility\nin coordinating the delivery of alcoholism and substance abuse services,\nthrough the entire network of service providers. To accomplish these\nobjectives, the legislature declares that the establishment of a single,\nunified office of alcoholism and substance abuse services will provide\nan integrated framework to plan, oversee and regulate the state's\nprevention and treatment network. In recognition of the growing trends\nand incidence of chemical dependency, this consolidation allows the\nstate to respond to the changing profile of chemical dependency. The\nlegislature recognizes that some distinctions exist between the\nalcoholism and substance abuse field and where appropriate, those\ndistinctions may be preserved. Accordingly, it is the intent of the\nstate to establish one office of alcoholism and substance abuse services\nin furtherance of a comprehensive service delivery system.\n