Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is oversaturating Harlem with drug therapy services — and it’s bought to cease, fed up Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-13) mentioned.
“It’s an excessive amount of for the neighborhood. It’s completely uncontrolled,” Espaillat informed The Publish.
There are presently 13 such clinics — many operating alongside or close to the backbone of a hundred and twenty fifth Avenue — with 75% to 80% of sufferers coming from exterior of Harlem, the congressman mentioned.
The excessive focus of therapy clinics serving addicts can also be attracting extra drug sellers to the neighborhood, claimed Espaillat.
For the mess he blames the state Workplace of Habit Companies and Helps, which licenses and approves drug therapy applications. Hochul oversees the company.
“It’s unhealthy planning,” Espaillat mentioned. “OASAS has been horrible.”
He mentioned he’s personally mentioned the issue with the governor, however that the established order is untenable.
Espaillat mentioned service provider teams just like the a hundred and twenty fifth Enterprise Enchancment District are livid and described the abundance of drug therapy clinics in a single hall a kind of “redlining.” The retailers, feeling underneath siege, even objected to opening a legal pot store throughout from the Apollo Theater.
In accordance with a listing offered by the congressman’s workplace, the areas of simply a number of the habit facilities embrace:
- 119 W. 124th Avenue
- 103 East a hundred and twenty fifth Avenue
- 132 W. a hundred and twenty fifth Avenue
- 2406 Amsterdam Avenue
- 2191 Third Avenue
- 2367-69 Second Avenue
“I’ve lengthy expressed my considerations and am deeply troubled by the variety of OASAS clinics and their placement in my district,” mentioned Espaillat. “There’s an undeniably disproportionate quantity of methadone therapy clinics in communities in my district in comparison with the residents who want it.
“This disparity leads to practically an 80% enhance of treatment-seekers from exterior of our communities to commute to Harlem and East Harlem for these providers, a sample which has subsequently created a rise within the drug sellers within the surrounding space in addition to a rise in drug use and overdoses in our communities,” he continued.
He mentioned he has urged OASAS to relocate a number of the drug therapy clinics so they’re distributed extra equitably throughout the town “as against the present oversaturation in predominantly African American and Latino neighborhoods,” he mentioned.
Espaillat famous that northern Manhattan is shouldering greater than its share of accountability in serving to addicts get their lives again on observe.
His district consists of two controversial “safe” drug injection sites — the place addicts can carry their very own medicine and are supplied with clear needles to shoot up underneath the watch of medical professionals. A report by The Publish revealed that drug sellers bought narcotics to sufferers on the injection websites.
The fentanyl disaster has solely worsened the scenario, the congressman mentioned.
“I’ve seen individuals capturing up medicine between vehicles,” he mentioned.
The Publish beforehand reported a couple of legion of drug-addicted zombies roaming East Harlem and remodeling components of the neighborhood into lawless, open-air capturing galleries.
The congressman is aware of the harm that open drug use can trigger a neighborhood, having battled the crack epidemic that contaminated Washington Heights within the Nineteen Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties.
OASAS defended its actions Sunday following Espaillat’s criticism.
“OASAS doesn’t choose websites to position therapy services, however reasonably certifies the purposes submitted from community-based suppliers to ship providers at a given location primarily based on an illustration of want,” mentioned company spokesman Evan Frost.
He mentioned the choice on the place to position therapy services follows a multi-level that consists of enter from New York Metropolis. .
Greater than half of the suppliers providing therapy providers in Harlem have been in operation previous to 1988, together with a number of that started operations within the Nineteen Seventies, Frost mentioned.
“Additionally it is essential to notice that there’s a giant focus of hospital services in Harlem that present complete well being care, together with providers for these affected by habit,” the OASAS rep mentioned.
“Many individuals journey to those services for habit care in the identical method that others would to be handled for power diseases like most cancers or coronary heart illness. There are not any geographic restrictions as to the place somebody can go to obtain therapy.”
Mt. Sinai Hospital and Metropolitan Hospital, a part of the town public NYC Well being + Hospitals system, run a number of the clinics.
“Final yr, Governor Hochul together with Congressman Espaillat introduced motion designed to enhance the best way therapy is offered within the Harlem neighborhood, and we stay dedicated to supporting each the area people, and people in want of this lifesaving therapy,” the OASAS rep said.
