REPRESENTATIVE ESPAILLAT AND GOVERNOR HOCHUL UPDATE NEW YORKERS ON JOINT COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE OPIOID TREATMENT IN HARLEM 

Amid Nationwide Overdose Crisis, Governor and Representative Announce Efforts To Support Harlem Community 

NEW YORK, NY – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Governor Kathy Hochul today announced immediate actions to improve the way opioid treatment is provided in Harlem. The effort will support the Harlem community while continuing New York's efforts to fight the overdose crisis that has taken thousands of lives. 
  
“These measures will directly address community concerns while we work to identify additional long-term solutions to improve the density of services in Harlem," Representative Espaillat and Governor Hochul said. "Supporting and providing health care to New Yorkers struggling with addiction remains a joint priority, and we will continue to work together to tackle this statewide public health crisis head on.”   

Under the framework developed by Representative Espaillat and Governor Hochul, two immediate steps will be taken. First, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) will work with opioid treatment program providers to address high foot traffic and idling at certain sites while better serving existing patients. To do so, providers will shift to requiring fewer visits to receive take-home medications, when appropriate, which will eliminate barriers to life-saving treatment and reduce the number of in-person visits needed for each patient. 

Additionally, OASAS will expand the Mobile Medication Unit (MMU) program to additional regions later this year, including Wards Island, helping to alleviate foot traffic issues along the 125th Street corridor. The MMU program launched this year with a $6 million investment and is designed to reach underserved areas and people who have difficulty accessing treatment by bringing services directly to them.  

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]