From the years between when the YM-YWHA left and 1967, when the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission came into 1511 Fulton Avenue, the building served yet another population. The New York City phone directory, in 1955, listed its occupants as Crotona House - Sanitarium and in 1957 to 1967 the Fulton Nursing Home.
Correction Officer Gloria Myers recalls visiting her great grandmother (Isidora Vigo). Officer Myers was a teenager and she recalls that her great grandmother, had a bed on the 4" floor. She recalls, as well, taking the elevator to the floor, stopping at the nurses station and visiting her great grandmother in the room facing the park. Her great grandmother was transferred to a home in Brooklyn when the nursing home closed in 1967.
The Narcotic Addiction Control Commission, a state run drug treatment program, opened its doors in April 1967.
Not only crime, but unemployment, poverty, loss of human dignity and the ability to fill a meaningftil and productive role in the community, as well as damage to the physical and mental health of the addict himself7herself were all by-products of the spreading disease of narcotic addiction. The narcotic addict, in many cases, was compelled to resort to crime to support his/her drug habit. And the addict who committed crimes needed help to break the cycle of addiction. A comprehensive program of treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare for narcotic addicts was developed to address these needs. The Narcotic Addiction Control Commission firmly believed that narcotic addicts could be rehabilitated and returned to the community to live useful lives only through extended periods of treatment in a controlled environment followed by supervision in an aftercare program. The participants in the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission Treatment Program had to be certified as narcotic addicts via the court system. There were two types of certifications (Civil and Criminal Certification). A Civil Certification could not exceed 36 months. Criminal Certification was the result of an individual being found guilty of a criminal offense and sentenced to a period of 36 or 60 months in lieu of a prison sentence. In 1969 Fulton Community Based Services Center opened its doors to provide treatment to those individuals who were (Criminal or Civil) commitments to the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission. Fulton Community Based Services Center offered the following treatment components:
The purpose of Day Care was to assist clients on aftercare status with vocational training, academic training and employment assistance. Subjects offered included Math, Reading, Music, Photography, Carpentry, Printing and Tailoring.
Residential Treatment was developed to provide drug treatment to those clients who had either relapsed or to those who were newly committed to the program. This component involved a full day of programming which consisted of group counseling, individual counseling, sessions with the psychologist, academic and/or vocational assistance depending on the client's need. A team of professionals (psychologist, social worker, education supervisor, counselors and aftercare parole officers) met weekly to review and assess each clients' progress. The Methadone Maintenance Treatment was established to treat those clients who were long-term drug abusers who felt that methadone maintenance was the only viable option for them. This component was open to aftercare participants as well as residential participants. In keeping with the tradition of community based centers, Fulton opened it doors to community members and provided the following services:
From its inception, the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission received criticism from a number of sources. The Commission was investigated by the State Investigation Commission (S.I.C.), and N.A.C.C. also became a campaign issue against then Governor Nelson Rockefeller. as well as a target of the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1974, the State Investigation Commission received numerous complaints of misappropriation and client abuse. As a result of this investigation, wholesale administrative changes were mandated for the N.A.C.C. From this, the agency evolved into the Drug Addiction Control Commission (D.A.C.C.). By November of 1975, D.A.C.C.'s name had been changed to Office of Drug Abuse Services (O.D.A.S.). By the end of 1975 most of O.D.A.S. facilities had either closed down or converted to a New York State Correctional Facility. The agency, now called the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, is still in operation; however, the philosophy and treatment modalities have changed drastically from the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission era. [Webmaster Note: The OASAS text box with logo image and Rockefeller bio box with portrait image were inserted into this web version of the Fulton CF anniversary booklet to provide additional historical background material.] |
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