Richard Moody is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media officials in Columbia County are actively seeking support from the state of New York for an existing program that aids those incarcerated by the county with addiction recovery. The current state budget includes $3.8 million for the development and implementation of substance-use disorder treatment in local jails, something Columbia County has done on its own for several years. The county program provides imprisoned individuals, when released, the opportunity to connect with recovery services, and also relies on Twin County Recovery Service to provide a counselor for the jail, Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett said. The jail-based recovery program also works with the departments of Human Services and Mental Health, and Social Services to help inmates prepare for release, Bartlett said. Department of Human Services Director Michael Cole said at the April 17 Columbia County Board of Supervisors Health and Human Services Committee meeting, the county should advocate to make the state funding permanent for jail-based services. However, Sen. George Amedore Jr., chair of the Senate Heroin Task Force, is not prepared to promise permanent funding for such services, saying it is too soon to tell if they will be successful in the long term. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.