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Concentrating New York City’s methadone mega-centers in low-resourced neighborhoods fuels the overdose epidemic.
Tell Governor Hochul and OASAS to locate small-scale, effective, and holistic drug programs in all communities
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Dear John,
I just started a petition titled "Tell Governor Kathy Hochul and OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham: Stop Fueling the Overdose Epidemic!"
Why are 19% percent of New York’s opioid treatment programs in Harlem when only 4.3% of treatment patients live in the area?1 Most of New York’s opioid treatment programs have been packed in historically redlined communities. For instance, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) perpetuates redlining by repeatedly licensing methadone clinics that ultimately concentrate within Harlem.2 Currently, 75 percent of the opioid treatment patients that are sent to programs located in Harlem and East Harlem do not live in these communities—traveling from as far away as Staten Island.3 Drug use is not limited to communities of color and so the treatment facilities shouldn’t be either. Concentrating the majority of New York City’s methadone mega-centers in a handful of low-resourced neighborhoods limits convenient patient access and fuels the overdose epidemic. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to travel for hours to access vital, daily care.
When programs are more conveniently located in all neighborhoods, drug treatment success increases.4 Equitably distributing the locations of treatment centers throughout New York will not only work toward racial justice, but it will also lead to better health outcomes for all. That’s why we are demanding OASAS and Governor Hochul to decentralize the concentration of opioid centers in Harlem and commit to a data-driven, equitable approach that increases access to community-based programs that are small-scale, effective, and holistic.
Tell Governor Kathy Hochul and OASAS Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham: Stop Fueling the Overdose Epidemic!
The current presence of treatment mega-centers in communities of color reinforces the message that addiction is a Black issue and one that should be contained in Black neighborhoods. When the crack epidemic ravaged Black communities in the 1980s and 1990s, Black people were criminalized, Black families were ripped apart, and Black children were forced into foster care.5 Government leaders harmed Black communities instead of helping them. This is in stark contrast to how the current opioid crisis is being handled with swift action to save lives. There is undeniably more support now—from prioritizing treatment centers to actually acknowledging this drug epidemic as a public health emergency. But, again, Black communities are being stigmatized and asked to shoulder the weight of recovery for the rest of the city. This can be retraumatizing to those who were directly affected by the crack epidemic and witnessed how concentration can lead to communities falling apart.
While methadone mega-centers provide the government with bureaucratic and economic utility, they ultimately shift inefficiency on the patients who must travel for daily care. Concurrently, the density of programs profoundly impacts the under-resourced communities that house them while concurrently bolstering the property values of wealthier and whiter neighborhoods that have effectively outsourced drug treatment care. Leaders like Governor Hochul and OASAS Commissioner Cunningham must act to desaturate the burden that Harlem and East Harlem have been shouldering for decades and reverse the impact that treatment mega-centers have had on fueling the opioid crisis and harming Black communities.
Demand that Governor Hochul and OASAS Commissioner Cunningham commit to reducing the disproportionate density of drug programs in Harlem and across New York City.
We envision a vibrant, tolerant, clean, and safe community where everyone who lives, works, goes to school, and seeks treatment in Harlem can thrive. Our goal is to balance compassion with the demand that all communities take their fair share. We want to support our neighbors who continue to struggle with systemic and generational health, economic, social, and safety disparities. And we want to end the decades-long practice of packing drug treatment mega-centers into Black communities. We want small-scale, community-based, holistic, effective treatment centers in all New York neighborhoods.
By leveraging the OASAS relicensing process and new opioid settlement funds, Governor Hochul and Commissioner Cunningham can rebalance OASAS programs on a geographic and fair-share basis. Join us in demanding that they do!
Add your name: Tell Governor Hochul and OASAS Commissioner Cunningham to stop fueling the opioid crisis and create small-scale, effective, holistic drug treatment programs in all communities!
Thank you,
Syderia Asberry and Shawn Hill
References:
- Garber, Nick. “Drug Clinics Face Scrutiny in Harlem as Residents Push Back.” Harlem, NY Patch, Patch, 24 Mar. 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/351929?t=17&akid=53327%2E4731121%2E4I2trq
- Hill, Shawn. “New York City’s Opioid Treatment Program Geographies and Structural Racism .” Fordham, July 2021, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/351930?t=19&akid=53327%2E4731121%2E4I2trq
- Hill, Shawn. “Over 75% of Patients in Harlem & East Harlem Opioid Treatment Programs Are Not Residents of Harlem.” Greater Harlem Coalition, 7 July 2021, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/351931?t=21&akid=53327%2E4731121%2E4I2trq
- Ahmad, N. Jia, et al. “Improving Access to Evidence-Based Medical Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Strategies to Address Key Barriers within the Treatment System.” National Academy of Medicine, 29 Apr. 2020, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/351932?t=23&akid=53327%2E4731121%2E4I2trq
- Harp, Kathi L H, and Amanda M Bunting. “The Racialized Nature of Child Welfare Policies and the Social Control of Black Bodies.” Social politics vol. 27,2 (2020): 258-281. doi:10.1093/sp/jxz039
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