Healthcare Workers: Gov Hochul, Authorize OPCs!

August 31, 2023

Dear Governor Hochul,

We write to you as healthcare workers, researchers, and health officials on the front line of the overdose crisis to urge swift and decisive action to address the overdose crisis in our state through passing an executive order to authorize overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in high need areas across New York State.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 6,080 New Yorkers died from preventable overdoses in 2021, surpassing the number of deaths from gun violence, suicides, and motor vehicle accidents combined. Overdose is the leading cause of death for New Yorkers under 50 years old. The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated the urgency of the overdose crisis.

Overdose prevention centers, now operating in dozens of cities around the world for over 35 years, provide a controlled setting where people can use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of trained professionals who intervene in the event of an overdose or other medical emergencies.  They also offer sterile supplies and thus prevent infections including HIV, hepatitis C, endocarditis, and abscesses. In doing so, they keep participants safe and reduce the likelihood of emergency room visits and hospital admissions.  Most importantly, there has never been a fatal overdose in an OPC.   

At the same time, OPCs provide an important point of access to appropriate healthcare for underserved patients. They reduce stigma for our clients, and they keep communities safe and healthy. OPCs fill unmet needs for the people they serve including linkage to counseling and referrals to health care, social services and drug treatment. OPCs also benefit local communities by moving drug use to safe spaces indoors, reducing syringe litter in public spaces. 

Fortunately, there is no need to speculate on the potential effectiveness of OPCs in the U.S. – in late November of 2021, the first two sanctioned OPCs in the nation opened in New York City under the umbrella organization OnPoint.  In over a year and half of operation, OnPoint has reversed over 1000 potentially fatal overdoses. With more New Yorkers dying from opioid overdoses than ever, it is time to expand access to all New Yorkers in need.

Organizations representing medical, public health and addiction professionals including the American Medical Association, the American Society of Addiction and the NY Society of Addiction Medicine have all called for the expansion of OPCs to meet the overdose death crisis.

We the undersigned health professionals urge you to help save lives throughout the state by passing an executive order authorizing safer consumption sites and overdose prevention centers immediately.

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center

Greater NYC Black Nurses Association

Health Justice

Institute for Family Health

Just Equity for Health

Manhattan Central Medical Society

National Health Care for the Homeless Council

New York Doctors Coalition

New York Society of Addiction Medicine

NYC Against Segregated Healthcare

NYS Academy of Family Physicians

St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction

1. Aaron Siegel, MSW

2. Abhishek Mogili, Medical and Public Health Student

3. Adriana Pero, MD Candidate

4. Aidan Pillard, MPH

5. Alexander Azan, MD 

6. Alexander Jordan, MD

7. Alexander Ledet, MD/PhD Student

8. Alison Stendbergh

9. Alli Morgan, PhD

10. Allison Halpren, MPH

11. Amarachi Okorom, MD Candidate

12. Ana Djordjevic, MSc

13. Andrea Jakubowski, MD, MS

14. Andrea Maritato, MD

15. Andrew Goldstein, MD, MPH

16. Angela Calhoun, MD

17. Angela Lee, MD

18. Anish Kumar, MD Candidate

19. Ann Winters, MD 

20. Anna Blech, MD Candidate

21. Anna Huh, MD

22. Anna Kuzel, DO

23. Anna Martens, MD Candidate

24. Anne Swido, NP

25. Annette Georgia, MD

26. Anthony Carino, MD

27. Anushri Nimbvikar, MD Candidate

28. Archie Jao, MD, MPH, AAHIVS

29. Ariel Korn, RN

30. Armel Dogruluk, DNP, FNP-BC

31. Arvind V. Murali, MD Candidate

32. Ashley Brown, MD Candidate

33. Ashley Rosenberg, BS, EMT, MD Candidate

34. Ayman Mohammad, MD Candidate

35. Bailey Frohlich, MD Candidate

36. Benjamin Asriel, MD MFA

37. Benjamin Eckhardt, MD Candidate

38. Benjamin F. Asriel MD, MFA

39. Benjamin Hayes, MD, MPH, MSW

40. Betty Kolod, MD, MPH

41. Beverley McAlpin, FNP

42. Bhavana Patil

43. Bonnie Coover, FNP

44. Brett Bell, MS, MD Candidate

45. Brian Hackel, MS

46. Brittany Heins, MD

47. Bruce G. Trigg, MD 

48. Cameron Clarke, MPP, MSc

49. Cameron Ormiston, MD Candidate

50. Camille Torfs-Leibman

51. Camilo Hernandez Joya, MPH 

52. Cara Coren, MD, MD Candidate

53. Carissa Pelzel, FNP

54. Carli Salvati, LMSW

55. Carly Fiest, MD Candidate

56. Carol Kessler MD, MDiv

57. Carolina Miranda, MD

58. Catherine Stratis, MD Candidate

59. Cecilia Crews, MPH Student

60. Chinmayi Venkatram, MD Candidate

61. Christina Lefebvre, BS, MD Candidate 

62. Colby Parsons, MD Candidate

63. Colin Estrellado, LCSW

64. Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU

65. Corey Costa PA-C

66. Courtney Pladsen, DNP, FNP-BC

67. Craig Hammerman

68. Daizy Perales, MA

69. Daniel Baboolal, MD Candidate

70. Daniel Gillespie, MSN, AGPCNP-BC

71. Daniel Huang BS, MD Candidate

72. Daniel Liu, BS, MD Candidate

73. Daniel Lugassy, MD

74. Daniel Qian, BA

75. Daniel Rosa, MD

76. Daniela Shill, MPH

77. David C Perlman, MD

78. David Himmelstein, MD

79. Deborah Herdan, RN

80. Dhruv Sarin, MD MPH

81. Diana Diaz Muñoz, MPH

82. Dorothy Calvani, RN

83. Elena Baldwin, MD Candidate

84. Elise K. Richman, MD

85. Elizabeth McGriff, CWTU

86. Elizabeth Wood, MD Candidate

87. Ellen Tattelman, MD

88. Emily Gerteis, FNP

89. Emily Schwenger, MD/PhD Candidate

90. Emily Scognamiglio, MPH, RN

91. Emily Xu, BS, MD Candidate

92. Emma Brezel, MD Candidate

93. Emma White, MD Candidate

94. Erin Goss, MD

95. Ernest S. Egu, MD

96. Esha Mehta, MD MPH

97. Evan Hale, MD Candidate

98. Evelyn Zhang, MD Candidate

99. Ezequiel Ramos, MS, MD Candidate

100. Gabrielle Wimer, MD Candidate 

101. Giliane Joseph, MD

102. Gillian Wright, MD Candidate

103. Giorgio Handman, LCSW

104. Glen McWilliams, MD

105. Iman Hassan, MD MS

106. Irfan Azam, MD MPH

107. Isabell Sillo, MD Candidate

108. Isabelle Kornblau, MD Candidate

109. Isidra Rodriguez-Veve, MD Candidate 

110. Jack Zhang, MS, MD Candidate

111. Jacquelin Ho, MD Candidate

112. Jeffrey Selzer, MD

113. Jeffrey Weiss, PhD, MS

114. Jenna Butner, MD

115. Jennifer Sugijanto, BA

116. Jennifer Sugijanto, MD Candidate 

117. Jennifer Werner, FNP-BC

118. Jessica Cornfeld, RN

119. Jessica Ho, MD, MPH

120. Jessica Tan, MD/PhD student

121. Jillian Keegan, MD Candidate

122. Jo Ann Brown, MS RDN CDN CDCES

123. Joanna Frank

124. Jonathan E. Alpert, MD PhD

125. Jonathan Ross, MD

126. Jordan Liu, MD Candidate

127. Joseph Lurio, MD, FAAFP, FNYAM, FASAM

128. Josh Park, BS, MD Candidate

129. Joyce A. Rivera, ABD

130. Judith Katz MD

131. Julia Benville, MD Candidate

132. Julian Sackey, MD Candidate

133. Julian Sackey, MS

134. Julie Marcus, PhD

135. Justin Gasper, MD

136. Kaitlin Brown, MSN

137. Kaitlyn Clausell, MD Candidate

138. Karalyn Dennis, FNP-BC AAHIVS

139. Karen Becker, MD, MPH

140. Kartik Menon, MD Candidate

141. Kate Jenkins, MD

142. Kate Mannion, FNP

143. Kate Moody, MD Candidate

144. Katherine Mullins, MD

145. Katie Larratt

146. Katie Mead, MD Candidate

147. Kelly Doran, MD, MHS

148. Kelly King

149. Kelseanne Breder, PhD, PMHNP

150. Kevin Weiss, MPH

151. Kim Rodriguez-Loggins, FNP

152. Kristina Davila

153. Kristine Torres-Lockhart, MD

154. Lance Austein, MD

155. Larissa Laskowski, DO

156. Lauren Hall, MD Candidate

157. Lauren Roddy, MD, MSc

158. Lauren Wessler, MD

159. Lee Isaacsohn MD

160. Libby Wetterer MD

161. Lily Dalke, midwife

162. Lindsay Blevins, PhD

163. Lisa Baron, MD

164. Liza Magill, MD Candidate

165. Lloyd Simon MD, FASAM, FACP

166. Lucy Greenwald, MD Candidate

167. Lucy Schultz, MA, MD Candidate

168. Lynda Karig Hohmann, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAFP

169. M Dougherty, LCSW

170. Mackenzie Mitchell, MD Candidate

171. Madeline Villalba, MD Candidate

172. Madison Wanamaker, MD Candidate

173. Mallika Govindan, MD

174. Manan Krishnamurthy (MD-PhD student)

175. Marc Henry Estriplet MD MPH

176. Marcus Weeks, MD Candidate

177. Maria Gervits, MD

178. Marianne Tissot, MD Candidate

179. Mariya Masyukova, MD, MS 

180. Marvin S Rabinowitz, MD

181. Mary Gover, MD

182. MaryKelly McCarthy, MPH

183. Matthew Beyrouty, MPA

184. Matthew Holm, MD 

185. Matthew Kuntzman, MD Candidate

186. Maureen Regan, MSN

187. Meredith McCarthy

188. Michael Zingman, MD, MPH

189. Michele Buonora, MD, MS

190. Mikayla Gordon Wexler, MD Candidate

191. Miriam Fisher, MS

192. Musaub Khan, MD

193. Nancy Forman, MD

194. Natan Vega Potler, MD 

195. Neil S Calman, MD

196. Nicole Franchi, PMHNP-BC

197. Nicole Muehleisen, MD Candidate

198. Nicole Stratton, MD Candidate

199. Nikita Israni, MD Candidate

200. Noelle Hoffman, MSc

201. Oladimeji Oki, MD

202. Olivia Howell, MD Candidate

203. Olivia Kralik, MD Candidate

204. Olivia Moscicki, MD Candidate

205. Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS

206. Paige Cloonan, MD Candidate

207. Pamela Mund, MD

208. Paul Gross, MD

209. Phoebe Li, MD Candidate

210. Piper Lillian Coalson, GCPH, CPS

211. Rachel Calnek-Sugin, MSW

212. Rachel Simon, MD

213. Rayce Samuelson 

214. Rebecca Chen, MD Candidate

215. Reise Sample, MD Candidate

216. Rex Tai, MD

217. Robert W Morrow MD

218. Ronni  Marks

219. Ross W. Sullivan MD

220. Ruhee Shah, MD Candidate

221. Sandhya Kumar, MD MPH

222. Sara Zaat, MD Candidate

223. Sarah Baron, MD, MS

224. Sarah Jacobs, MD Candidate

225. Sarah Lincoln, MD Candidate

226. Sarah McNeilly, MD Candidate

227. Sarah Schroeder, MD

228. Scott Fabricant, MD PhD

229. Selena Gilles, DNP, ANP-BC, CNEcl, FNYAM

230. Serena Roth, MD

231. Seth Congdon, MD

232. Shannon M Egan, MSN, MSPH, RN

233. Sharel Sadud, MD

234. Shenell Thomas, MSN RN

235. Sherry Oommen, MPH

236. Spencer T Johnson, MD Candidate

237. Stella Safo, MD MPH

238. Stephanie Song, MD Candidate

239. Stuart Wasser MD, FASAM

240. Susan Bonadonna, MD

241. Talha Arif, MD Candidate

242. Tamara Goldberg, MD

243. Terence Hughes, MD Candidate

244. Teresa Lopez-Castro, PhD

245. Tess Nienaltow, MD Candidate

246. Tiffany Lu, MD MS

247. Tiffany Tyson, BA, MD Candidate

248. Tonia Ogundipe, MD Candidate

249. Tsion Tmariam, MD Candidate

250. Van Yu, MD

251. Vashti Wagner, MD Candidate

252. Veronica Sadler, MD Candidate

253. Vito Grasso, MPA, CAE

254. Walter Jacob, MD Candidate

255. Will Gansa, MD Candidate

256. Will Genthe, BS, MD Candidate

257. William Jordan, MD, MPH

258. William Lee Vail, MD, MPH&TM

259. William Matthews, PA

260. Zachary Gallin, MD Candidate