Yet these issues are too often addressed as distinct and separate, resulting in a disjointed system that puts imposing demands upon individuals whom the system is supposed to serve. This siloed approach clearly doesn’t work: It is simply too hard for people to get the care they need, and it hurts the most vulnerable New Yorkers the most.

The human services workforce has already begun to adapt: Health centers with integrated teams of professionals from different fields are being designed as one-stop shops where clients can access different services within the same building. 

But despite the hard work of our committed teams on the ground, it is still harder than it should be for New Yorkers to access mental health and substance use services. We need programs that ensure our workforce is just as prepared to provide substance use services as they are mental health programs. 

To break down these siloes, Samaritan Daytop Village and Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare developed a pathway for frontline workers within Samaritan’s residential programs, transitional housing, and outpatient settings to pursue graduate social work degrees while continuing to work. Thanks to funding from New York Community Trust, 10 team members have enrolled in Stony Brook’s master’s in social work program. One has already graduated, and the remaining nine are on track to graduate this spring. 

The students follow a specialized pathway through Stony Brook’s MSW curriculum that addresses the educational needs of working addiction professionals. This pathway includes a hybrid schedule of online classes that are offered on days/times that work around their working hours; specialized advisement and mentorship; and courses that have been redesigned to incorporate and expand upon their work experience and that are taught by professors who have worked in social services. Students are also given internships within Samaritan’s portfolio of programs so that there is a better alignment of work and internship responsibilities. 

This partnership is a win-win-win. Human services workers earn an advanced degree free of charge, completing graduate school debt-free, while maintaining their full-time jobs in order to continue earning. Samaritan is investing in its workforce, providing workers with an opportunity to develop the skills they need to do their best work. Through its collaboration, Stony Brook demonstrates the value of a public higher education institution and its commitment to the community. This is precisely the type of innovative programming that's required to meet this moment.

Of course, funding is the perennial issue our sector faces. But with $26 billion in opioid settlement funding, we are presented with an incredible opportunity to invest differently in order to achieve different outcomes.  

We encourage the state to redistribute a percentage of the settlement funds directly to workforce education programs like this — allowing human services workers to pursue social work and other professional licenses free of charge, so they can address the addiction crisis with the urgency it demands.

In the face of dual mental health and substance use crises — as well as an enduring workforce crisis in the sector — we’re proud of this creative program. The dedicated workforce, which is substantially made up of women of color, needs access to the widest range of training and educational opportunities possible to adequately support a community with evolving and complex needs.