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Isabel Byon: 0:00
The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, or OASAS, provides this podcast as a public service. Thoughts and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent or reflect those of the agency or state. This is Addiction:. The Next Step.
Jerry Gretzinger: 0:19
Hello once again everybody.
Jerry Gretzinger: 0:21
Jerry Gretzinger here, your host of Addiction: the Next Step, and you know who's behind it all it's the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Thanks again for checking us out and what we have to talk about today. And today we have a very important topic we want to discuss with you. You know our agency, OASAS. We do a lot of partnerships because we know that substance use can touch a lot of different areas, and today we're going to be talking about how substance use plays a role in domestic violence, because there is a connection there and you may initially think, well, how do those two things have anything to do with one another? Well, it does, and so today we're going to learn about that. We're also going to learn about one of those partnerships I talked about between OASAS and OPDV, and here to tell us what that stands for and what this connection is is April Maas. She's here with us today. She's the Director of Policy, Innovation and Professional Education with OPDV. Thanks for joining us.
April Maas: 1:14
Yes, it's great to be here.
Jerry Gretzinger: 1:15
And I mean I believe OPDV is obvious, but we'll tell people it's the Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence, correct, correct, yes, and so been around 30 plus years OPDV. And I think it's probably long overdue that OASAS and OPDV have kind of partnership. But we do have something coming up in the not too distant future that we will talk about in a little bit. But I think for those people who are listening, who are wondering what's the connection, what kind of partnership could this be? What could it address? Let's talk about that first, so I'll let you drive the bus here, if you will. What is the connection? How does substance use and domestic violence have anything to do with one another?
April Maas: 1:56
Well, first, I think a lot of people have misconceptions about what domestic violence is, and what we try to explain to people is that it is a pattern of coercive control.
April Maas: 2:07
So there's when a person is creating harm through domestic violence, they are controlling their partner through coercion, and there's lots of different tactics. So it's a lot more than physical violence and in fact sometimes there is no physical violence. Sometimes we have a fatality review team and we've even seen fatalities where there was no physical violence prior to the murder. But it's a pattern of all these different tactics and sometimes substance abuse can be part of those tactics. So, for example, if the person who is committing the abuse has an addiction, they can use that. As I heard a story recently of them, whenever they were mad at their partner, they would drink more and drink faster during arguments, knowing that that upset their partner, that that was something they would argue about, that they wanted them to stop drinking, so they would do more or say I drink because of you, or if you leave me, I won't be able to get sober. So it's all part of that control and it's coming from a sense of entitlement and it all all these different tactics, work together to kind of entrap the survivor.
Jerry Gretzinger: 3:27
And it's called again. It's coercive control.
April Maas: 3:30
And it happens sometimes there's also survivors of domestic violence or coercive control can be coerced into addiction. So sometimes the offending partner will say, oh, you know, get them to drink or coerce them into using substances, and then they end up addicted. And then they use that against them of oh well, you can't call the police on me, because I'll just tell them what you're doing or the kids will be taken away from you, and we see that a lot.
Jerry Gretzinger: 4:01
Wow. So I think that's one of the things where you know the average listener.
April Maas: 4:06
Right.
Jerry Gretzinger: 4:07
Obviously would not have necessarily made that connection that okay, yeah, coercive control Someone who may be using substances coercing their partner to use them as well,
April Maas: 4:16
and so it doesn't always. sometimes it is the threat of physical violence or it is. You know there's isolation involved, intimidation, a lot of mental, emotional, verbal abuse. A lot of different tactics are used in conjunction with periods of things are going really well, to throw survivor off and confuse them. So when someone is trying to get you to do something and you have that threat of potential violence or negative, whatever they're afraid of, then they end up doing things.
Jerry Gretzinger: 4:53
So I think when we hear this explanation as to the crossing of substance use and domestic violence, I think it becomes obviously to us obvious that something needs to be done between agencies. Right, you're working to prevent domestic violence, we're working to prevent substance use and certainly overdose and fatal overdoses. So let's talk a little bit about what has traditionally been done to assist people who come forward and say coercive control going on, I'm being made to use substances, and then we'll get into what we're going to start doing together.
April Maas: 5:26
So you know a lot of people think right away about shelter and most survivors do not want to go to shelter, but some that is their only option and if they struggle with substance abuse or addiction it can. That can be difficult to then move into a shelter situation and some maybe be expected to not use or not drink and or something like that, and that can be difficult. So we've been working with domestic violence providers to make shelter more accessible. But we're also looking at how do we help people who don't want to go to shelter. Are there other ways that we can support them in however they want to handle their situation?
Jerry Gretzinger: 6:08
Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of complexities trying to figure out how to help the vast you know the broad group of people and the situations that they're in.
April Maas: 6:17
Yes, yeah, it is a very complicated situation for people involved in it and you know there are some similarities, but every survivor is different and they all have different needs and we focus at OPDV on being survivor centered, trauma informed and culturally responsive. And part of all of those three pillars involve understanding what a survivor might be experiencing and whether that is their own substance abuse or their partners. It interacts with all of the decisions they're making.
Jerry Gretzinger: 6:48
And you talk about your three pillars and that sounds very familiar to pillars that we have here at OASAS. So I think that leads us pretty well into the partnership that we formed, how we're working together to assist with some of these folks who are going to the shelters and otherwise. Let's talk about, and I'll let you share the news about what we're doing together.
April Maas: 7:05
Right. So in July of 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that DV shelters and domestic violence service providers across the state will now have access to free overdose emergency kits, and so it's a partnership between OPDV, OASAS and OCFS, and so we have it's called Community Overdose Prevention Education, so Project COPE, and we have these kits inside all of these shelters and facilities so that people have access to them. The naloxone boxes.
Jerry Gretzinger: 7:39
Yeah, Project COPE is one of our groups here that does a lot of great work and this is a great partnership to make these available. It's almost one of those things where you think to yourself, wow, this wasn't already being done.
April Maas: 7:50
Exactly, we say that a lot. Oh, we weren't already doing this. We need to get on that, yeah.
Jerry Gretzinger: 7:56
So good that that realization was there and that we're able to move forward and make it happen. And I know you mentioned before too that, and I know you mentioned before too that some people are hesitant about the whole shelter idea, right? So we're able to put these in the shelters, so that's great for the people who are still hesitant. But maybe in that situation where there's coercive control going on and they're being made to use substances and may have formed an addiction as a result, you know I can say certainly Oasis has been trying to do what it can to get out harm reduction supplies to anybody who wants them, and that's you know.
Jerry Gretzinger: 8:29
You go to our website, oasas. ny. gov, and that's O-A-S-A-S, in case people didn't know how to spell it. But you can go there and you can order naloxone test strips. You can have that sort of stuff in your possession and you wouldn't need to be in the shelter situation, right. But I want to ask you too is there a complication with people going to request something? Because what we do it goes in the mail, so it gets mailed to someone's home. Could there be a concern that somebody has? I don't want to have this come to my home because I'm afraid someone might see it and might get upset.
Jerry Gretzinger: 9:00
I'm just thinking of that right now that that might be a concern.
April Maas: 9:03
Absolutely. You know, if it's something that they don't want their partner to know about or that might be used as another tactic, then they might not want that coming to their home. So the great thing about this project is it also involves training for domestic violence service providers. So the advocates whether you're in shelter or not, if you're calling for help with domestic violence, you can also. They're now trained on how to provide or access these naloxone boxes and make referrals.
Jerry Gretzinger: 9:35
Great. So there is an opportunity for people who may not feel comfortable having it sent to their home. They can make that contact and they can find out what they can do to still be in possession of these things.
April Maas: 9:45
And that's why it's so important to partner between the agencies is so, then, people who their expertise is in domestic violence? They don't need to become an expert in substance abuse or use. They can make referrals. We can teach them what they need to know in order to make the referrals for the survivors, to get the other help that they need as well.
Jerry Gretzinger: 10:05
So all the great things come from working together, right.
April Maas: 10:07
Yes, absolutely.
Jerry Gretzinger: 10:08
All right. So if people want more information, they want to learn either it's about the shelters or if they want to, just like you said, reach out and talk to someone. I know we have some contact information you want to share.
April Maas: 10:17
Yes, so we have a hotline and it is available 24-7 and it is a state hotline, so it will help connect you to your local resources as well. So there is text at 844-997-2121, or you can call and talk to someone at 1-800-942-6906, and we also have a chat function on our website, which is opdv. ny. gov opdvnygov
Jerry Gretzinger: 10:48
and so, like the chat function, they can go on and they could take a chat back and forth with an operator who can assist.
April Maas: 10:53
Yes, and with trained advocates who can help link them up to all of the resources that they need.
Jerry Gretzinger: 11:00
That's great, and I'll just take the opportunity to throw out our numbers as well. If people have questions about the naloxone or the test strips 877-8-HOPE-NY 877-8-HOPE-NY you can also go to that website again oasas. ny. gov A lot of information there and listen. April, thank you so much for coming out and talking us through this, because I think it was educational for us as well as listeners, and great that this partnership is in place and that we're doing some good work together.
April Maas: 11:28
Thank, you
Jerry Gretzinger: 11:28
All right, thanks very much, and thanks everybody for checking us out on Addiction: The Next Step. I'm Jerry Gretzinger and until we see you next time, be well.