Every day, in communities and families across the country, lives are being lost to the overdose crisis.
The first two officially recognized OPCs in the United States opened in New York City in November 2021. Since then, the sites — operated by an organization known as OnPoint — have been used nearly 70,000 times, and staff has successfully reversed nearly 850 overdoses. Not a single person has died at either of the two NYC sites and only 14 have required an ambulance or emergency medical services personnel.
To understand the impact of OPCs in the U.S. context, we are launching the nation’s first federally-funded study of these sites, thanks to funding from the National Institutes of Health. We understand that OPCs can provoke fierce debate, but whether you are a supporter or a skeptic, we can all agree that more data on how these sites work in the United States is needed. Let the data be collected and, in due time, we’ll have a clearer picture of the role OPCs can play to prevent the needless and heartbreaking loss of our loved ones to this epidemic.
Read the article at The Hill
