OPCs are safe spaces where people can be monitored by trained professionals to identify and respond to the earliest signs of overdose. OPCs prevent fatal overdoses, especially for high-risk populations, like street homeless individuals, and they foster stigma-free spaces for engaging a population traditionally underserved by formal healthcare services. As such, they are a necessary part of a comprehensive solution to the overdose crisis and overall health and well-being.
The OPCs are well-lit rooms with tables or booths around the room and enclosed, ventilated spaces. As beforementioned, the primary purposes of the overdose prevention room are to save lives and connect individuals to care. Most interesting are the conversations and community that are fostered in the room. It’s a space in which participants feel loved and seen.
Our OPCs operate communal, vented rooms to address the increasing prevalence of adulterants – including fentanyl and its analogues – in drugs other than opioids. In recent years, fentanyl has increasingly been found in batches of crack, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other substances commonly smoked. Participants who are not dependent on opioids – or don’t use them regularly or at all – who encounter a contaminated batch of drugs, are at elevated risk of overdose and death.
Our OPCs provide booths and tables designed for safety and privacy. Each booth is equipped with stainless steel surfaces and individual seating, ensuring a hygienic environment. The booths are separated by partitions to offer personal space for participants. All supplies used in the room stay in the room, effectively diverting hazardous litter from our communities. The setup supports safety and helps prevent vein damage and other health issues, ensuring a supportive and controlled environment.
Our low-threshold services—which we provide through our two Drop-In Centers in Harlem and Washington Heights—serve as the foundation for everything we do. These spaces provide a refuge where peopl
Juan Cortez, Holistic Services Manager, shares the methodology behind our holistic services, his personal motivation for the work, and why it’s so important to our community.
Learn how OnPoint NYC’s holistic services are not only medicine for the mind, body, and spirit, but fosters outreach, activism, and personal change.
East Harlem
104 -106 E 126th Street
New York, NY 10035
Washington Heights
500 W 180th Street
New York, NY 10033
Drop-in Centers Hours
Washington Heights DIC
Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 11 PM
Weekends: 9 AM – 4:30 PM
East Harlem DIC
Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 11 PM
Weekends: 10:30 AM – 6 PM
Notifications
