Our Clinical Services: Health, Hope, and Healing
At OnPoint NYC, we are dedicated to improving our neighbors’ quality of life – and providing accessible healthcare is a major part of this process. Our wide array of clinical services integrate with our programming and philosophy, providing caring support to meet the needs of people in our community. OnPoint NYC operates clinics in both our East Harlem and Washington Heights locations, and provides care to help participants take charge of their health.
We spoke with Susan Spratt, Director of Clinical Services, about this important aspect of our work.
Assisting our Neighbors
Our clinics offer an array of services, including medication-assisted treatment to help our participants meet their recovery goals, wound care, and treatments or preventive medication for chronic illnesses such as HEP-C and HIV. However, our participants are often disconnected from traditional healthcare systems, so our clinical services are designed to be a one-stop shop – often providing care for medical issues that may have been previously ignored or neglected. This can range from flu vaccines, physicals, management of chronic conditions, and even prenatal care.
As Susan explains, at OnPoint NYC’s clinics, “just because [a participant may] use drugs doesn’t mean they don’t have all the regular sort of primary care needs that everybody has. They have a lot of competing priorities and so they haven’t had access to their insulin or they haven’t had medication for their hypertension for a long time. So, we also try to provide those medications to people and give them an opportunity to be connected to longer term primary care.”
In keeping with OnPoint NYC’s overarching mission and philosophy, our clinical services are low-threshold and designed to be accessible, adaptable, and aligned with the needs of our community.
OnPoint NYC's Clinics Offerings
- Medication Assisted Treatment to quit or reduce opioid use:
Buprenorphine
-Sublingal (Suboxone)
-Injectable (Brixadi, Sublocade)
Naltrexone
Referral to methadone clinics - Referral to Detox / Rehab
- Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment (including Cepheid POC RNA Testing)
- STI Testing and Treatment
- HIV Testing and Treatment
- HIV Preventive Care (PEP & PrEP)
- Wound Care
- Psychiatric Care
- General Health Assessments
- Management of other chronic illnesses, pregnancy, and referrals and connections to primary care and other specialists
- Medication Assisted Treatment to quit or reduce opioid use:
Understanding that our participants’ day-to-day lives are not always stable or predictable, they do not need appointments to be seen – they can walk in, be added to the clinic’s waiting list, and be seen same-day. Doctors and nurses can then take as much time as they need with each person, allowing them to develop trust and allow participants to discuss their needs in a calm, comforting, non-rushed environment. The clinic has mechanisms in place to treat participants that do not have active health insurance, and OnPoint NYC’s case management team is available to help participants navigate Medicaid issues and insurance renewals.
Being co-located with other OnPoint NYC services further allows for synergy and coordination of services – staff can coordinate on referrals, and even locate and remind participants to visit the clinic for ongoing care and medication adherence.
“Staff in our Drop-in Centers, our case managers, our mental health staff are all on the lookout,” shares Susan. “We try to have eyes and ears with our outreach team – ‘if you happen to see this person in the field, can you please make sure that they know that we’re looking for them?” This helps ensure that participants get their regular blood work, complete or maintain treatments, and continue to receive other needed care.
Helping People Take Charge of their Health
These services are often life-changing. “Our participants have often been ignored or made to feel ashamed for their drug use in more traditional settings,” says Susan. “By giving them a non-stigmatizing, non-judgmental space to receive care, they have an opportunity to take charge of their own healthcare.” At OnPoint NYC, they learn to advocate for themselves, and are supported in undergoing treatments – transforming not only their own health, but their conception of self worth.
When a participant completes HCV treatment and achieves cure, or begins HIV medication and gets their viral load down to undetectable, they feel a sense of accomplishment, are in better health, and are contributing to reducing community spread. Medication assisted treatment, such as buprenorphine and methadone, can allow people to gain control of their drug use, reducing health risks and allowing them to achieve their personal goals.
New innovations like long-acting injectable buprenorphine treatment have been a game-changer for participants who are looking to reduce their dependence on drugs. The injectable form of these medications have removed many barriers to treatment, as participants don’t have to wait until they’re in withdrawal to begin, and don’t have to remember or keep track of their meds.
“For example, we had a participant who’d been coming to both our sites for five and a half years, and telling us, ‘I don’t want to use opioids anymore,’” Susan shares. However, she was unhoused and consequently had a lot of competing priorities and pressures that made it difficult for her to adhere to regular treatments.
“We had her started on sublingual bupe, and each time, she wasn’t able to stay on the medication. Once we started offering injectable bupe, she was able to get the first dose and come back for the next dose. We slowly started to see her stabilize on the medication, and then we started seeing changes outside of the clinic…she began working with our Case Management department and ended up being able to secure housing. She continues to come back for injectable medication, and that’s really wonderful to see. She was wanting this for a long time, and was finally able to get to a place where she found the right medication for her. We’re very happy for her and proud of her.”
For Susan, these stories are what inspire her and keep her committed to doing this work. She began in the field as a volunteer at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, where she strongly connected with the work. “I fell in love with harm reduction,” she says. “And I fell in love with the community of participants who use our services.”
At OnPoint NYC, we’re proud to be operating our clinics – and are excited to be expanding our operating hours in the coming months. As always, we are continually looking for ways to innovate and provide wrap-around support to our community. As Susan says, “We’re here for people, in whatever way they are requesting us to be there for them.”
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Interested in learning about other OnPoint NYC services? Check out these blog posts:
Building Trust and Wellness: Our Unique Approach to Mental Health Care
The Power of Low-Threshold Services: Setting the Foundations for Success
Keeping Streets Clean and Engaging our Neighbors
Case Management Rooted in Compassion and Care
