Overdose Prevention Van, Crisis Center Gets Approval For Bed-Stuy

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — It was a "yes" vote for two measures showing support towards taking action against two major challenges facing the city as it still finds its footing since the beginning of the pandemic: drug overdoses and mental health challenges.

At a Community Board 3 meeting earlier this month, members approved a letter of support for both a New York State Department of Health Overdose Prevention Initiative to operate a mobile van as well as for Phoenix House of NY to operate a supportive crisis stabilization center.

While the Community Board vote is not the last step in approval, it shows that leaders in Bed-Stuy see drug overdoses and mental health crises as issues to take seriously and the need for help to address the problems head-on.

Deaths from drug overdoses have steadily increased across New York City since the end of 2019, with sharp increases in 2020 that have mostly continued to grow.

According to the most recent data from the city's department of health, there was a massive jump of 100 deaths related to drug overdoses between the second and third quarters of 2021, from 609 deaths to 709 deaths.

Compared to 2019, 2020 saw deaths due to drug overdoses increase by nearly 40%, according to city data.

In Harlem, a groundbreaking supervised injection site marked another direct effort to take on the challenge of combating deaths from drug overdoses, with the operator claiming that the site has helped reverse 314 overdoses in the first six months since its opening nearly a year ago.