The NYC overdose prevention centers saved dozens of lives in the first few weeks of activity

By Natan Ponieman

Three weeks after the country’s first overdose prevention centers (OPCs) opened, New York City officials said the sites have already saved dozens of lives.

OPCs opened in late November as a place where people can use illegal drugs under medical supervision.

Photo by Douglas Sacha / Getty Images

The centers have averted at least 59 overdoses and been accessed more than 2,000 times, the New York Department of Health reported.

The Overdose Prevention Centers can provide people with controlled environments under the supervision of trained staff and with access to sterile consumables, tools to check their supplies for fentanyl, and links to health care, advice and referrals to health and social services, including drug treatment.

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“These data are promising and show how overdose prevention centers reduce unnecessary suffering and preventable deaths,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “The simple truth is that overdose prevention centers save lives – the lives of our neighbors, our families and our loved ones.”

Photo by Jon Flobrant via Unsplash

The NY centers, which operate in Washington Heights and East Harlem, are the first publicly recognized sites of their kind to open in the United States.

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This week the NYC Board of Health issued a statement on Measures to Prevent Death from Drug Overdose, calling on the federal government and New York State to support overdose prevention centers and other harm reduction services.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.