Susan Comery was hooked on prescription anxiety medication for 15 years. 

"I never thought I could be a day without a pill," she said. "I would black out, have seizures." 

Her addiction led to 10 overdoses and countless trips to the emergency room.

Each time, she would leave the hospital only to go home with the same habits. 

That's until March, when she says she walked out a different person. 

"My life is good now. I'm not where I was before," said Comery. 

Comery went through an inpatient detoxification program and is now 100 days sober.

It's all thanks to a substance abuse initiative underway at Staten Island University Hospital's South Site. 

Nurses Patricia DeFelice and Barbara Malach created the program called "Roadblocks to Recovery" in September. 

"We are seeing an increase of overdoses in young people between 20 and 30-years-old on our intensive care unit," said Malach.  "We said, 'listen - this has to stop.'"  

The program connects drug abusers with treatment and recovery options before they leave the hospital.

The goal is to prevent patients like Comery from falling through the cracks. 

"We're too tired of hearing different stories about losing patients," said DeFelice. "It's about time that we start hearing these success stories." 

Hospital staff in all departments are trained to spot potential addicts. 

This means more patients like Comery are being connected to recovery services, whether its through inpatient or outpatient care. 

"For someone like her, having access to a long-term treatment option will really make the difference between her living or having a very poor quality of life," said Dr. Kirane, Staten Island University Hospital's director of addiction.

DeFelice and Malach say their work is far from over as they continue to expand the program. 

They say it's a big undertaking, but seeing patients like Comery get a second chance makes it worth every minute.  

"It's very gratifying knowing that you're on the right track," said Malach. 

And so, for helping patients across the borough change their lives for the better, Patricia DeFelice and Barbara Malach are our Staten Islanders of the Week.