Expand overdose prevention centers

More than 50 years after the United States government declared a global war on drugs, the crisis of illicit drug use and addiction is more prevalent than ever, on this, International Overdose Awareness Day.

Earlier this year New York City reported a record 2,668 deaths from opioid overdoses in 2021. Based on data from the first half of 2022 that number likely increased last year. Statewide, the number of opioid-related deaths tripled between 2010 and 2020. New York reflects a much broader national crisis that claimed the lives of more than 109,000 Americans in 2022. In the Bronx communities we serve, these statistics are even more dire.

These devastating numbers reflect lives lost and present an urgent need to reverse the escalation of this epidemic with every evidence-based method at our disposal. After decades of punitive approaches, we know the unjust end result of such policies is locking up a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers. On the other hand, we know from our highly successful response to the AIDS crisis, that a philosophy of care known as harm reduction is critical at this juncture.

Community-based providers have employed harm reduction approaches for decades, but we still need more community members and leaders to understand and embrace an approach that is grounded in empathy, community needs and data.

Now as overdose rates reach new heights, New York is leading the path forward with new solutions. From overdose prevention centers to Narcan vending machines and fentanyl drug testing strips, to offering additional mental health resources and services addressing social determinants of health, we are committing to an approach that is saving and improving thousands of lives. At their inception, each was treated like a revolutionary idea — now these are widely used solutions.

This is a pivotal moment for harm reduction. We must build on the pioneering work of the state Department of Health’s AIDS Institute and continue to enhance harm reduction’s role in national health policy. In August 2022, in a historic first, the federal government named harm reduction as a key part of its national strategy to reduce overdose deaths.

Gov. Hochul amplified harm reduction in the state Department of Health’s approach, and appointed Commissioners James McDonald to lead the Department of Health and Chinazo Cunningham to lead the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Both have brought a wealth of experience in expanding harm reduction services, while working with harm reduction experts on the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board to disburse $2.5 billion in opioid settlement funds.

Mayor Adams has embraced these public health solutions and committed to reducing overdoses by 15% through innovative measures grounded in community-centered health, including overdose prevention centers.

The idea of an overdose prevention center may be misunderstood. Rather than enabling drug use, these centers meet individuals suffering from drug use where they are and provide them a safe space to reduce the harm they are causing to themselves or others while accessing the basic health care they might need. For neighbors of these centers, the data is clear — public drug use, syringe litter and drug-related crime goes down when these centers are part of the continuum of medical and social services provided to support vulnerable communities.

After helping open the country’s first two publicly recognized sites in 2021, the New York City Department of Health has committed to expanding the number of overdose prevention sites based on the success of the programs in Harlem and Washington Heights. So far, these centers have served more than 2,300 New Yorkers and prevented more than 1,000 overdoses. These facilities have also improved the quality of life for all New Yorkers by keeping drug consumption off the streets, parks and other public spaces.

The opioid crisis demands immediate action. The reality is that people — friends, loved ones, and colleagues — are dying every day. We don’t have more years of policy negotiations to spare. The time to save lives is now. New York has the resources it needs to expand overdose prevention centers into the communities that need them most, like the Bronx where the rate of overdose fatalities is higher than any other county in the state.

We have lost the War on Drugs, so on this International Overdose Awareness Day, we must commit to compassionate, evidence-based solutions to end the opioid overdose epidemic. We have the tools, we just need the will to implement them.

Gustavo Rivera represents the 33rd District in the New York State Senate, where he chairs the Health Committee. Joyce Rivera serves as founder and chief executive officer of St. Ann’s Center for Harm Reduction.