At least 46 people from New York City’s two safe-injection sites were rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest or with life-threatening strokes or seizures, according to a new report.
OnPoint, the nonprofit that runs the two centers where people can use illegal drugs under supervision, has not kept track of those 46 patients or their current conditions. The city Health Department also has not tracked them, the New York Post reported.
According to OnPoint, the organization avoided collecting information about the patients to prevent potential violations of privacy laws.
“When EMTs were called, it was after a participant was already stabilized and for precautionary health reasons unrelated to an overdose,” Sam Rivera, OnPoint’s executive director, said in a statement.
The spike in medical emergencies comes as the number of visits to the two centers continues to rise. In 2023, 3,156 drug users visited the Harlem and Washington Heights sites 61,184 times — a 26% increase from 2022, when there were 48,533 visits.
“We increased the overall number of visits and frequency of visits to the Overdose Prevention Centers. These are significant successes,” OnPoint said in its annual report.
Crack was the most commonly used drug at the centers, reportedly smoked 56,175 times over a two-year span. Heroin was the second most popular, used 48,174 times in the same period.
The sites remain highly controversial. Supporters argue they provide a safer environment for people struggling with addiction while offering treatment resources. Critics say taxpayer dollars should not support facilities where illegal drugs are used.
At the centers, trained staff offer clean needles, administer naloxone to reverse overdoses, and connect users with addiction treatment services. Individuals bring their own drugs for consumption.
These are the first facilities of their kind in the United States. Other major cities, including Philadelphia, San Francisco and Boston, have attempted to open similar sites but have faced significant legal challenges.
The centers have received substantial public funding. OnPoint received $6.5 million in taxpayer funds in 2022, and by 2024, that amount grew to $15.9 million.
As debate continues, the sites’ future remains uncertain. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani once supported the Safer Consumption Services Act, which aimed to create a statewide program. During his campaign, he shifted his position, agreeing to keep the two Manhattan sites open but not expand the program further.
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