Nation's First Overdose Prevention Centers Open in NYC

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The United States' archetypal overdose prevention centers person opened successful New York City successful the Manhattan neighborhoods of East Harlem and Washington Heights.

People volition beryllium capable to bring their drugs and usage them nether the supervision of trained unit members who volition supply cleanable needles, forestall overdoses and connection connections to addiction services to those who are interested, metropolis officials said.

Cities and states nationwide person pushed for overdose prevention sites successful caller years arsenic the nation's opioid epidemic has worsened.

"If you deliberation astir a nationalist wellness effect to a situation and you privation to triage radical to halt it, this is 1 involution astir apt to bash that," Caleb Banta-Green, main probe idiosyncratic astatine the University of Washington's Addictions, Drug and Alcohol Institute, told NBC News. "They're doing it successful overmuch of the world, truthful we're truly benignant of precocious to the game."

Critics reason that specified sites would make locations that promote cause use, but Banta-Green said they halt radical from utilizing drugs alone, thing that greatly increases the hazard of a fatal overdose. Similar programs already successful usage successful Australia, Europe and Canada person already made a dent successful fatalities: According to NBC News, overdose prevention sites successful Vancouver chopped the complaint of fatal overdoses determination by 35%.

There were much than 90,000 overdose deaths successful the United States successful 2020, according to the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 2,000 of those were successful New York City, according to an authoritative connection announcing the caller centers.

“The nationalist overdose epidemic is simply a five-alarm occurrence successful nationalist health, and we person to tackle this situation concurrently with our COVID fight,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said successful the statement. “Giving radical a safe, supportive abstraction volition prevention lives and bring radical successful from the streets, improving beingness for everyone involved. Overdose prevention centers are a cardinal portion of broader harm reduction."

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for much connected opioids.

SOURCE: NBC News