AUDIO – SAVE LIVES NOW –

March 4, 2023 – They discussed how City Hall can support overdose prevention centers, which provide supervised injection of illicit substances along with a range of other services. Two of these facilities, the nation’s first, have saved hundreds of lives since opening in late 2021. But haggling at the federal level has left their legality in question, which is also limiting the funding local governments can provide.

“Currently, the city does not provide any money directly to oversight of safe injection services, and we’ve been lucky enough to find philanthropic partners to step in and fund those very discreet activities,” Vasan said.

The conversation’s transcript is available below. It’s been lightly edited for clarity and includes a question-and-answer about syringe exchanges not aired due to time constraints.

Click@Gothamist