City health commissioner backs more safe injection sites, less police in mental health response: Dr. Ashwin Vasan said he is 'not closing the door' on overdose prevention centers despite opposition from the state.

SAFE injection sites (Community health services); URBAN health; MENTAL health; DRUG overdose; CRISIS intervention (Mental health services); QUALITY of life; POLICE

New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, expressed disappointment that Governor Kathy Hochul will not use the state's opioid settlement funds to support overdose prevention centers. Despite this, the city plans to expand safe injection sites and has committed a portion of its initial share of opioid settlement funds to support this expansion. The city's two existing overdose prevention centers, run by the nonprofit OnPoint NYC, have successfully prevented over 1,000 deaths since opening in 2021. In addition to expanding overdose prevention centers, the city also plans to increase distribution of naloxone and invest in expanding access to medication-assisted treatment. Dr. Vasan also discussed the city's efforts to address the mental health crisis, including reducing reliance on law enforcement in responding to mental health crises and launching a tele-therapy platform called Teenspace. The city is also emphasizing the role of employers in providing mental health benefits and improving quality of life for New Yorkers. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Crain's New York Business is the property of Crain Communications Inc. (MI) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)