Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has been very busy since becoming Chair of the New York State Assembly Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee. Since he took his post, the Assemblyman has visited and toured several alcohol and drug treatment centers throughout the area.

Among the facilities that Assemblyman Dinowitz visited was Daytop Village located in midtown Manhattan. Since opening their doors in 1963, Daytop boasts educating and treating over 130,000 individuals and having an 88% drug free graduate list. He also toured Phoenix House which is the nation's leading non-profit substance abuse treatment organization. Phoenix House is known for its 120 day program for parolees who are placed upon release from prison. Another unique facility that Assemblyman Dinowitz saw was the Samaritan Village Inc. The particular Samaritan Village facility visited by Assemblyman Dinowitz deals strictly with veterans who are in need of treatment and specializes in long term care. Yet another stop on the Assemblyman's tour was The Albert Einstein College of Medicine Division of Substance Abuse. This program has been serving the Bronx for over thirty years. This center has specialized in methadone medical maintenance.

The Assemblyman also recently visited the long time Riverdale neighbor Leake and Watts Services located just beyond the Yonkers border. Assemblyman Dinowitz saw the facilities first hand and met with several members of their Board of Directors. Since 1890, Leake and Watts has been helping troubled youths. In recent years it has been a leader in assisting substance abused youths kick their habits and get back on their feet.

"Visiting these facilities showed me first hand all the good that they do. The services that are provided in these treatment facilities are so important to the improvement of the quality of life of all of the people who utilize them. Our struggling economy threatens these services. I will fight very hard as Chair of my committee to insure that funding for these facilities is not diminished," said Dinowitz.