ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County is expanding a program that this week got a national award for preventing drug overdose deaths.

The county’s Mobile Outreach Treatment and Overdose Response, known as MOTOR, program, launched in 2020, has received a National Association of Counties 2025 Achievement Award.

To curb the opioid and fentanyl epidemic and improve access to behavioral health care, especially in rural areas, MOTOR operates as a mobile clinic.

Staff from the county’s mental-health department travel in a van to quickly intervene in a crisis and to offer support through peer specialists and counselors.

The program responds to overdose referrals, conducts follow-ups, and links people to needed services, aiming to reduce overdoses and improve health outcomes.

Since 2020, the program has served 424 people and has followed up on 393 overdose survivor referrals.

In addition, over 300 Narcan kits, 450 fentanyl test strips, 180 xylazine test strips, and 100 “overdose care kits” have been distributed.

In 2023, when the county installed a free Narcan dispenser in the Guilderland Public Library, the county’s health commissioner at the time, Elizabeth Whalen, explained that Narcan is “a medication that counteracts the effect of opioid medication and therefore can stop a fatal reaction … Just one sniff into the nose can make the difference between life and death,” she said.

The test strips that the county distributes are to let people know if fentanyl or xylazine is present in pills, powder, or injectables they may be using.

Albany County is expanding its MOTOR program, adding two new customized vans and three additional staff members.

“This will allow us to expand overdose survivor response to additional jurisdictions throughout Albany County,” the county said in a release announcing the award.

Albany County Mental Health Commissioner Stephen Giordano, who oversees the MOTOR program, said in the release that the MOTOR team is “a game-changing, proactive service that brings needed assistance to individuals and families living with addiction-related challenges throughout Albany County.

“We provide prevention education in the community; we provide support to individuals who are struggling; we link individuals to treatment services when necessary,” he went on, “and, we reach out and connect with overdose survivors in hopes of redirecting them towards health and recovery whenever possible.”

Giordano concluded, “Receiving recognition for these efforts from the National Association of Counties is a morale boost for our team and a testament to the fact that MOTOR is changing lives and saving lives in Albany County.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer