deep-diveopioidtreatmentMethadone Treatment Tripled Since 2010, But Most New Yorkers With Opioid Use Disorder Still Can't Get ItNew research reveals methadone treatment has tripled since 2010, yet three out of four people with opioid use disorder receive no medication at all. A pending federal bill could change how New Yorkers access this life-saving treatment.February 20, 20268 min read
policyfederaltreatmentNew Federal Rules for Addiction Treatment Records Just Took Effect. Here's What Patients in New York Should Know.For decades, addiction treatment records were governed by some of the strictest privacy rules in American healthcare. On February 16, federal enforcement of sweeping updates to those rules officially began. What changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for New Yorkers seeking help.February 19, 20266 min read
treatmentresidentialnew-yorkLong Island Gets New York's First Residential Addiction Program Built Specifically for Young AdultsNew York has hundreds of residential treatment programs, but until now, none were built around the specific needs of young adults. A new facility in Brentwood is trying to change that — and the gap it's filling says something about how the state thinks about addiction in people under 25.February 18, 20266 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
policyfundingalcoholNew York Bill Would Make Alcohol Sales Fund Addiction Treatment StatewideBronx Senator Nathalia Fernandez is pushing three bills that would create the first dedicated alcohol tax revenue stream for addiction services in New York — at a moment when the state has never made drinking easier to access.February 17, 20265 min read
opioidfundingnew-yorkRochester Just Got a New Opioid Clinic. Here's Where New York's Settlement Billions Are Going.New York has distributed more opioid settlement money than any other state. A new clinic in Rochester shows what that looks like on the ground — and a transparency controversy shows what it doesn't.February 17, 20268 min read
fundingfederalsamhsaSAMHSA Sends $794 Million in Block Grants to States for Mental Health and AddictionThe federal government sent nearly $800 million to states and territories for addiction treatment and mental health services — the largest single block grant distribution of the year, covering everything from community clinics to substance abuse prevention.February 17, 20263 min read
