SARANAC LAKE — St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers is still taking in new residents during the coronavirus pandemic, but officials there say it’s only a few and not from the virus hot spots.

St. Joseph’s CEO Bob Ross said the facility still has a responsibility to protect people from dying from addiction.

He said he did not want an “either-or” situation, in which taking precautions to stop the spread of a pandemic means people would die of drug overdoses.

“The individuals and families who are suffering from addiction, their needs don’t disappear or get diminished during this process,” Ross said.

Ross said the Saranac Lake facility has taken in around six new residents in the past few weeks, and that each new resident is screened for COVID-19 and stays in quarantine for 10 to 14 days before arriving.

He said the center’s usual occupancy of 71 is now down to 47.

Ross said at first, the facility had a high number of residents, as finding after-care locations for outgoing patients was difficult causing a bottleneck. Fortunately, he said, insurance has been covering longer stays.

Ross said there is a concern that the pandemic may result in more people becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, and that others could relapse.

“Those of us in the addiction field are extremely concerned that during this period there are going to be more individuals who are suffering,” Ross said.

He said that for every 1% increase in unemployment, opioid addiction goes up 3.5%. With mass layoffs and furloughs taking place as business grinds to a halt, Ross said a lot of pressure and stress is being put on people.

Because St. Joseph’s is not taking residents from downstate counties, Ross said there will be more pressure on the facilities in that area, and it is more likely that someone from downstate will not receive the services they need.

Inside St. Joseph’s, Ross said many aspects of recovery have been altered. He said Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are being conducted over videoconferencing services such as Zoom. In fact, he said, this has led to higher attendance of the meetings.

While organizing times and transportation for attendees can be hard to coordinate, he said there are now Zoom AA meetings all over the world, at all hours of the day, that people can join. He said residents have found that the online meetings can be just as comfortable as the usual room-based meetings.

Ross said this probably will continue past the coronavirus pandemic, as it is more efficient. He said there is “no question” that videoconferencing will be the way of the future.

Outside, groups of residents still play volleyball, on smaller four-person teams for social distancing. He said people are urged not to get too close to each other, as the games are just recreational.

“It’s not Olympic trials,” Ross said.

He said some trails behind the building on the St. Joseph’s property have been cleared recently and that residents, veterans and staff can walk the half-mile loop in small groups.

Men and women eat their meals separately, and therapy groups are meeting in smaller numbers and larger rooms. Ross said when the weather gets nicer, they will meet outside.

All staff members wear cloth masks, even when out of work, to lessen the spread viruses or bacteria. Many staff members are working from home.

Ross said there is a quarantine area set up in the facility’s “Family Bed and Breakfast Area.” He said some staff members have been tested for coronavirus, but Ross said none has tested positive.

Ross said the St. Joseph’s board and senior staff sent a letter of thanks and an accompanying check for $100 to each employee.