Ohel Announces New Division, Communities Confronting Substance Use & Addiction (CCSA)

Brooklyn, NY – July 13, 2023 – Ohel announced Communities Confronting Substance Use & Addiction (CCSA), whose mission is to eliminate the stigma around substance use and addiction in the Jewish community through school-based programming, will join Ohel’s comprehensive program of social and emotional services. CCSA Founder and Executive Director, Lianne Forman, and Associate Executive Director, Sharon Darack, will join Ohel and oversee future substance use prevention efforts in collaboration with its school-based services and resilience programs.

Lianne Forman commented, “I am excited for this incredible opportunity to join Ohel, a true leader in delivering social, emotional, and educational needs to the Jewish community. Together, I am confident that we will provide enhanced and more comprehensive services for all of our school and community partners.”

The new services from CCSA complement Ohel’s current substance use disorder services which include individual and group counseling, peer-support services, and more. Ohel will continue providing CCSA’s differentiated prevention programming to 6th through 12th-grade students at more than 60 middle and high schools. This work will include facilitating awareness events and evidence-based prevention education for students, parents, families, and faculty.

“Lianne and Sharon bring a wealth of experience in substance use prevention education and will enrich Ohel’s ability to service the Jewish community at large, supporting effective programming to young people through our school-based services,” said David Mandel, CEO of Ohel. “Along with the entire Ohel leadership team, we welcome them and look forward to becoming the leading provider of social and emotional educational services to Jewish schools throughout North America.