MOUNTAIN TOP CARES COALITION

Windham Weekly 11/13/20

MCC Continues to Grow Online and On the Road

by Jonathan Ment

PDFs attached below

10/25/20 A radio interview with Matty Jeff from WGNA, interviewing Jonathan Gross on MCC and all of its services, the effect of Covid-19 on opioid overdoses, the Narcan training, and how to reach MCC.

To the Mountaintop Community
We hear you.
The Board of Directors of Mountain Top Cares Coalition Inc. has listened to, and heard, the voices and concerns of some of the people on the mountaintop. We listened with an open mind and an open heart.
With the understanding that the concern about our Recovery Community Center is focused on its proximity to WAJ, we have decided to relocate from our current location on Main Street in Windham. We have learned that we can only fulfill our vision of “Neighbor Helping Neighbor” if we have the support of the community.
We are relieved that the community of Windham now acknowledges that our beautiful mountaintop towns have a serious problem with addiction and substance abuse, and that MCC’s primary mission is to address the issues surrounding these disorders. Acknowledgement is the first step towards healing. Progress is always made first with small acts of kindness.
As demonstrated last fall during the showing of the movie “Smacked,” almost everyone is affected by someone who either needs help or is in recovery; we all know someone that could use a welcoming and safe space to come to with a friendly, nonjudgmental and supportive staff.
To meet the needs of the recovery community, we will move forward...learn and grow...and provide the support so desperately needed...all with renewed enthusiasm and sense of purpose. We are thrilled that we can do this with the cooperation of the townspeople, demonstrated by the outpouring of support and
the many people that have stepped forward in the last month to volunteer their time and support.
We will find another suitable location; but our commitment to create a welcoming place with a caring staff...people to talk to...hope...remains solidly in place. In the meantime, we will continue to offer recovery coaching and peer counseling; support to families of those suffering from substance use issues; and referral services to existing agencies and service organizations throughout the area. And moving forward, we want to stress that we are not a detox center, halfway house, rehab center or residential program. We are a non-clinical Recovery Center.
If you need our support or want to volunteer, please reach out! In the past challenging month, so many of you have reached out to help and volunteer...it has been a truly educational and gratifying experience.
We know that helping those community members who struggle on a daily basis with recovery will result in a stronger, healthier, and better community for all of us. We look forward to working with the community towards realization of this vision.

The Mountain Eagle Windham Weekly covered the MCC Recovery Community Center on July 24, 2020

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Press Release
For Immediate Release

Maplecrest NY April 13, 2020:  Since April of 2017, Columbia County Pathways to Recovery has operated a Recovery Helpline to provide the community with information, resources and referrals for those affected by substance use disorder.  Columbia County Pathways to Recovery Acting President Lori Antonson is excited to announce that they have partnered with the Greene County based Recovery Community Organization Mountain Top Cares Coalition to expand the recovery helpline to now cover all of Greene County as well as Columbia County.  Lori stated, “The opioid epidemic continues to dramatically impact Columbia & Greene County and our organizations saw this as a way to join forces and make a greater impact in both Counties”. Jonathan Gross from Mountain Top Cares Coalition stated, “We are thrilled to be able to bring this service to our Greene County residents and most especially to the Mountain Top of Greene County, where our residents have been especially hard hit by the opioid epidemic.”  Desiree Graziano who manages the day to day operations of the Recovery Helpline stated, “We are in the process of training additional volunteers from the Mountain Top Cares Coalition and look forward to being able to help residents of the Mountain Top get connected to vital recovery resources.” The Recovery Helpline, staffed by recovery volunteers, is available 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week and can be reached by calling 877-HOPE-365. (877-467-3365). All calls are confidential with non-judgmental, compassionate individuals waiting to assist you.  Volunteers provide detox/rehab placement, referral services and offer support, compassion and assistance to people as they navigate their journey to recovery. In addition, during this COVID-19 outbreak, we are maintaining a list of online virtual support options available to the community to be sure people are staying connected to recovery supports and minimizing their self-isolation.  This is not a crisis line.  Volunteers answer calls from their own location using a system developed so that there is no need to travel to an office to take Helpline calls.  More volunteers are always welcome. 

Columbia Pathways to Recovery is a 501(c)(3) not for profit based in Ghent. Our mission is to provide Columbia County with comprehensive resources for those impacted by the crisis of substance use disorder.  We offer hope, awareness, advocacy, education and pathways for those who seek support, relief and recovery. The Recovery Helpline operates in part with the generous financial support from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors.  We thank them for their support. Mountain Top Cares Coalition is based on the Mountain Top of Greene County. Our mission is to empower a community of volunteers joining together as a service-based alliance of local citizens. We employ a holistic, wellness model, addressing issues of addiction, treatment, prevention and recovery in our mountain top community.

Columbia County Pathways To Recovery can be reached on the web by going to www.columbiapathwaystorecovery.org or by phone at 518-966-2775.  Mountain Top Cares Coalition can be reached on the web by going to www.mountaintopcarescoalition.com or by phone at 914-523-3766.