NYC Authorizes First Supervised Injection Sites in US

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s health department on Tuesday announced the authorization of Overdose Prevention Center services. The programs become the first publicly recognized supervised injection facilities to open in the United States.

The programs will be co-located with previously established syringe exchange providers and operated by the not-for-profit OnPoint NYC, a joint venture between Washington Heights Corner Project and New York Harm Reduction Educators.

“After exhaustive study, we know the right path forward to protect the most vulnerable people in our city. And we will not hesitate to take it,” de Blasio said in a news release. “Overdose Prevention Centers are a safe and effective way to address the opioid crisis. I’m proud to show cities in this country that after decades of failure, a smarter approach is possible.” 

In November, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the US for the 12 months ending in April 2021, a record-high for a 12-month period, according to provisional data.

The opening of the supervised injection sites is projected to save up to 130 lives per year, according to a New York Health Department feasibility study.

“The national overdose epidemic is a five-alarm fire in public health, and we have to tackle this crisis concurrently with our COVID fight,” New York City Health Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi, MD, said in a statement. “Giving people a safe, supportive space will save lives and bring people in from the streets, improving life for everyone involved. Overdose prevention centers are a key part of broader harm reduction.” 

While supervised injection facilities have operated in other countries for years, such programs have faced longstanding resistance in the US. A previously approved plan by the not-for-profit organization Safehouse to open a site in Philadelphia hit a roadblock in a US Circuit Court in January, and in October, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Safehouse.

In July, Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee signed a bill authorizing a 2-year pilot program to establish harm reduction centers in the state.

While de Blasio and New York City officials back the OnPoint NYC-run program, and New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams is on record as supporting such facilities, the NYC sites still could face federal opposition. Thus far, the US Justice Department under President Joe Biden has not said it will pursue legal action against such programs, as the department did under former President Donald Trump, but the Biden administration has also declined to endorse supervised drug use sites.