MONTICELLO, NY — The past few years have seen a number of recovery providers for substance use disorder come to Sullivan County. Hope Not Handcuffs brought a new path to recovery, giving local police departments the tools to help those afflicted by substance use disorder find treatment rather than jailtime; the Bridge Back to Life Center brought a mobile treatment unit that travels the county bringing hope where it is most needed.

Joining their ranks is a medication treatment unit, courtesy of the Lexington Center for Recovery (LCR).

LCR has four decades of experience in providing outpatient treatment for victims of substance abuse. It provides a range of services, including medication-assisted treatment and individual, group and family counseling, and operates in Dutchess, Rockland and Westchester counties. Its new location brings those services to Sullivan County as well.

There is no better way for the center to celebrate its 40th anniversary than by entering its fourth county, said LCR executive director Adrienne Marcus, speaking at a ribbon-cutting for the location on October 28.

LCR opened its Sullivan County location at 26 Hamilton Ave., Suite 2 in Monticello. The location began operations on October 10, according to an LCR announcement.

Sullivan County Health and Human Services Commissioner John Liddle said at the ribbon-cutting that, since he’d joined the county the previous April, he had said that help is coming. That help is now here, he said. “We are thrilled that this day has finally come.”

The location provides help in the form of medication, specifically methadone. Methadone reduces opioid cravings and the effects of opioids, according to samhsa.gov; when administered by a medical practitioner, it can help individuals suffering from substance use disorder find recovery.

At the ribbon-cutting, LCR medical director Dr. Rashiah Elam said that methadone is the closest thing she has seen to a miracle in her 15 years of practicing addiction treatment.

The new LCR location is the first to provide methadone treatment in Sullivan County. Previously, patients needed to travel to neighboring counties to receive the care; having a treatment option in-county cuts down on the time and the cost of that travel, making treatment more accessible for more of the county’s population.

Everyone is aware that medication is the first line of defense for substance use disorder, said Dr. Kelly Ramsey, the associate chief of addiction medication at the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. For the first time, that first line of defense is available in Sullivan County.

The Lexington Center for Recovery held a ribboncutting for its new Sullivan County location on October 28.

Adrienne Marcus, executive director for the Lexington Center for Recovery, cutting the ribbon for the center's Sullivan County location on October …