Two government-funded shooting galleries in New York City aim to prevent fatal overdoses. However, records indicate that at least 46 drug users were transported by ambulance to local hospitals due to serious health issues like cardiac arrest, strokes, or seizures.
OnPoint, the nonprofit running two safe injection facilities in Harlem and Washington Heights, reportedly does not keep track of the outcomes for these individuals. Critics have labeled this negligence. The city’s health department, which supervises these facilities, hasn’t clarified whether it is aware of the hospital outcomes for those 46 cases.
Interestingly, the number of overdoses reported at the center increased by 7%—from 636 to 683—between the first and second years, as highlighted in OnPoint’s recently released annual report. In 2023, the latest available data indicates that 3,156 users visited the center a total of 61,184 times.
This marks a 26% jump from the previous year, when the facility logged 48,533 visits. There’s also been a rise in repeat visits; in 2023, 177 individuals came in for medication at least once daily, reflecting a quick 108% growth from 77 in 2022.
OnPoint claims this surge in visits signifies a major success for the overdose prevention centers.
In terms of drug preferences, crack topped the list among OnPoint users, being consumed 56,175 times over two years, followed by heroin (48,714 injections), cocaine (30,721 snorts), and the dangerous combination known as Speedball (19,651 injections).
Notably, the use of Speedball at the Washington Heights location more than doubled from the first year to the second, rising from 19% to 44%. In Harlem, the rise was more gradual, from 5% to 7%.
Critics argue that these centers do little more than enable drug use rather than offer real help for addiction. Charles Lehman, a public policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, noted that there seems to be no effective measure of outcomes. It’s perhaps unsurprising that results don’t look promising, considering that the centers are not addressing the root problems.
The report mentions that 14% of clients received services related to buprenorphine, which is used for treating opioid addiction—consisting of education, testing, and counseling—but it does not specify how many actually agreed to treatment.
Neighbors of these facilities have voiced concerns over the visible drug activity spilling onto streets, with incidents of public drug use and even sex occurring during the day.
According to tax records, OnPoint received over $15.9 million in 2024 from taxpayers, which made up the majority of its $17.4 million revenue. This public funding has steadily increased each year, reaching $6.5 million in the first operational year.
Lehman remarked that the focus appears to be on promoting drug use rather than on helping individuals stop using substances, indicating that there’s little concern for long-term consequences.
A potential shutdown of the city’s two safe injection centers has been hinted at by Manhattan’s leading federal prosecutor, particularly after President Trump previously targeted them through an executive order.
Although Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani has co-sponsored legislation for a national program to establish additional facilities, he later expressed hesitancy about expanding the current setup, countering earlier promises made during his primary campaign. Notably, he has included several harm reduction advocates in his transition team, which might lead to an increase in these centers in the city.
In defense, OnPoint stated that it does not monitor clients taken to hospitals due to privacy concerns, with Executive Director Sam Rivera asserting that paramedics were called only after participants had stabilized, for preventive reasons unrelated to overdoses.
