Truthout reports on overdose prevention centers, stating that “we can save lives and reduce public drug use, but partisan politics are keeping a crucial intervention out of reach.”
“Like similar facilities in Canada and Europe that have been around for years, the two overdose prevention centers in New York City drastically reduced public drug use in the areas they serve and intervened in more than 1,500 potentially fatal drug overdoses since opening in 2021. Emergency 911 calls also dropped since the centers opened, saving the city’s health care system time and money….With the overdose crisis claiming over 100,000 lives each year, public health officials in other parts of the country are eager to learn from New York City’s model and open overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in their own communities. ”
“Now, harm reduction organizations and activists who lost loved ones to overdose are holding a week of protests and events across several states to demand that politicians stop dragging their feet during a major public health crisis and remove the legal and political barriers to establishing OPCs beyond New York City.”
