newsfundingsettlementBroome County Puts $800,000 Behind Eight Addiction ProgramsThe county closed Recovery Month by naming eight organizations that will share a third round of settlement money. Suspected fatal overdoses in Broome fell 43 percent last year, from 49 to 28, but the county's death rate remains among the worst in New York.October 2, 20267 min read
newstreatmentharm-reductionNew York Recruits Faith Leaders in Its Overdose FightGovernor Hochul's GRACE initiative pairs OASAS with the state's Interfaith Advisory Council, betting that the person a family turns to before it calls a hotline is often a pastor, imam, or rabbi. The program has $250,000 behind it and 13 events already on the calendar.October 1, 20263 min read
newscrisismental-healthNew York Bets $8 Million on Crisis Teams Without PoliceThe state Office of Mental Health is offering up to $8 million for four more community crisis response teams, including at least one in a rural area. Communities can apply for as much as $2 million each, but only counties left out of the first round are eligible.September 30, 20263 min read
deep-diveoverdosenaloxoneSuspected Overdoses Soar in NY Prisons Despite Mail BanNew York restricted physical mail in state prisons in 2021 to choke off the flow of drugs behind the walls. Department data compiled by the Correctional Association of New York shows Narcan administrations jumped 51% last year, and fatal overdoses are still running far above the level recorded before the ban.September 29, 20269 min read
newsnaloxoneoverdoseNYC Launches 'Just in Case' Campaign to Put Free Naloxone in Every PocketThe NYC Health Department's new campaign makes overdose reversal medication available by mail at no cost, targeting communities where someone dies from an overdose every five hours.June 1, 20264 min read
newsoverdosenaloxoneNYC's Overdose Prevention Centers Just Hit 2,000 Reversals—With Zero DeathsOnPoint NYC, operator of the nation's first government-sanctioned Overdose Prevention Centers, has intervened in more than 2,000 overdoses with zero fatalities since opening in November 2021.May 27, 20264 min read
newsoverdoseopioidNew York Overdose Deaths Plunged 45% in Three Years. Here's What Actually Worked.New provisional CDC data reveals New York's drug fatalities dropped for a third consecutive year, declining 44.9% since 2022—translating to more than 5,000 lives saved.May 26, 20265 min read
newsharm-reductionnaloxoneVending Machines for Naloxone Are Saving Lives in New York. A New Study Shows How.A pair of studies published in medical journals confirms that harm reduction vending machines across New York State are reaching high-risk individuals who might otherwise lack access to overdose reversal medication and drug testing supplies.May 7, 20266 min read
newspolicyfederalSAMHSA Issues New Guidance on Addiction Treatment—Restricting Harm Reduction and Emphasizing CounselingNew federal guidance restricts SAMHSA funding for harm reduction supplies while requiring counseling services alongside medication treatment, marking a significant policy shift.May 1, 20266 min read
newspolicyfentanylSAMHSA Bans Federal Funds for Fentanyl Test Strips and Syringes—A Major Shift in U.S. Drug PolicyThe Trump administration is cutting off federal funding for fentanyl test strips, sterile syringes, and other harm reduction supplies through a new SAMHSA directive that reverses years of overdose prevention policy.April 28, 20266 min read
newsoverdosefentanylU.S. Overdose Deaths Keep Plummeting—But New York's Drug Supply Is Getting More DangerousWhile fatal overdoses drop nationwide thanks to less potent fentanyl and better care, New York faces a new threat from synthetic drugs more powerful than anything seen before.April 13, 20267 min read
newsnaloxoneharm-reductionNYC Honors Public Health Worker Behind Naloxone Vending Machines That Distributed 4,500 Overdose KitsNew York City recognized a dozen public servants for innovative projects that improve city services. Among the winners: Roxanne Anderson, who launched vending machines that dispense free naloxone, syringes, and harm reduction supplies across the city.April 3, 20264 min read
newspolicyopioidFederal Government Moves to Ban Synthetic Opioid Sold in Gas Stations Before It Triggers the Next Addiction CrisisFederal regulators are racing to ban a synthetic opioid that's been sold legally in convenience stores and vape shops across the country. The substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine—known as 7-OH—is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that officials say is as addictive as heroin and more potent than morphine.March 25, 20268 min read
newspolicyfentanylDEA Just Banned Three Synthetic Opioids Stronger Than Fentanyl. Why New York Should Pay Attention.The DEA placed three nitazene-class synthetic opioids into Schedule I effective March 11, 2026. These substances are up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl and have been detected in overdose deaths nationwide.March 17, 20268 min read
newsnaloxonepolicyNew York Employers Must Now Keep Naloxone Where First Aid Kits Are RequiredNew York recently amended its labor laws to require private employers who maintain workplace first aid supplies to also stock naloxone or another FDA-approved opioid antagonist. The change comes as workplace overdose deaths continue to rise nationwide.March 11, 20264 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Workplaces Will Be Required to Stock Overdose Medication by Next YearStarting December 2026, New York employers required to maintain first aid supplies must stock naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. The new law signed by Governor Hochul aims to combat a crisis that claimed over 4,500 lives in 2024.February 27, 20265 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Law Will Require Naloxone in Workplace First Aid Kits by DecemberThousands of New York employers will need to add naloxone to workplace first aid kits under a law signed February 13. The requirement takes effect December 13, 2026, covering any private business already required by federal rules to maintain first aid supplies.February 26, 20263 min read
opioidfentanylharm-reductionA New Sedative Is Showing Up in New York's Drug Supply — and Naloxone Won't Stop ItDrug checking programs at NYC syringe service programs are detecting a new sedative in the city's opioid supply. Medetomidine is more dangerous than xylazine, and naloxone has no effect on it — which changes how overdoses need to be managed.February 18, 20263 min read
overdoseopioidfentanylNew York Just Recorded Its Lowest Overdose Death Toll Since Before COVID. Here's What Changed.For two consecutive years, New York has posted dramatic declines in overdose deaths. An estimated 4,567 people died in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023 — a drop the state hasn't seen since before the pandemic. Here's what drove it, who's still being left behind, and why 2026 will test how durable these gains really are.February 18, 20267 min read
