East Harlem neighbors relieved by plan to expand drug treatment locations
NEW YORK - A plan to expand drug treatment services cannot come soon enough for neighbors in East Harlem. Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Congressman Adriano Espaillat announced an effort to ease the oversaturation of services there.
Crowds gather outside OnPoint NYC's East Harlem overdose prevention center on a hot summer day. Staff stand at the ready with syringe disposal buckets, as clients ride their high along East 126th Street and Park Avenue.
A block away, Greater Harlem Coalition co-founders Shawn Hill and Syderia Asberry-Chresfield welcome news of the plan to spread addiction services to other areas.
"It will give us the opportunity to breathe," said Asberry-Chresfield. "I'm really happy that they're finally concentrating on the zip codes of the people that are entering their neighborhoods. So they'll have a better understanding of where they should put these facilities going forward."
The coalition has spent years tracking the disproportionate distribution of drug treatment in their neighborhood. Hochul and Espaillat now how to reduce foot traffic and idling by increasing take-home medication options and expanding the new mobile medication unit the state launched in July.
However, as the only option for users to inject illegal drugs under supervision, OnPoint NYC reps believe they will experience minimal effect.
"We support saving lives, but we also think that simply maintaining a life in a life of addiction is not a solution in and of itself," Hill said, "and we would like to see evidence that OnPoint is succeeding in taking people from addiction towards recovery."
U.S. Attorney Damien Williams warned of imminent action against OnPoint in comments to The New York Times, due to the dubious legality of its operation, but OnPoint leaders have heard nothing from him directly and will continue to operate as usual until they hear otherwise. The clinic recently celebrated its 1,000th overdose reversal since opening.
"You can't just close it without offering something else," Asberry-Chresfield said. "So I'm hoping that whatever that alternative is, is something that they've run past the community."
The harm reduction model has grown in acceptance, and neighbors hope these new steps allow more service providers to meet their clients where they need them most.
"Ultimately, it's a question of equity," Hill said. "All New York neighborhoods need to take their fair share. And when we distribute these programs equitably on a smaller scale, it means that no one community or neighborhood will suffer."
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