drug policy

CaPITOL PRESS ROOM: Senate Dems endorse overdose prevention centers:

The Senate Democrats are proposing adding $40 million to the governor’s proposal to spend on recommendations from the settlement board, including overdose prevention center programs and services. A similar investment was not included in the one-house budget proposal by the Assembly Democrats, according to VOCAL-NY, which supports the centers. Read More

CaPITOL PRESS ROOM: Senate Dems endorse overdose prevention centers: Read More »

VOCAL-NY Applauds NYS Senate and Assembly for Prioritizing Housing and Overdose Prevention in Budget Proposals

CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS NYS SENATE AND ASSEMBLY FOR PRIORITIZING HOUSING AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION IN BUDGET PROPOSALS After Weeks of Advocacy in Albany, State Lawmakers Heard Concerns and Addressed Them in Their One-House Budget Proposals  NEW YORK — Today, in response to the release of the Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets, VOCAL-NY released the following statement,

VOCAL-NY Applauds NYS Senate and Assembly for Prioritizing Housing and Overdose Prevention in Budget Proposals Read More »

How to Talk About Overdose prevention centers: Questions & Answers to Guide Community Conversations

Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) – also known as safer injecting facilities or safer consumption spaces – are controlled health care settings where people can safely use pre-obtained drugs under clinical supervision. The overdose crisis is a kitchen table issue, and affects all corners of the state. This conversation guide can help answer the most common

How to Talk About Overdose prevention centers: Questions & Answers to Guide Community Conversations Read More »

VOCAL-NY Responds to Mayor Adams’ State of the City

CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org  VOCAL-NY RESPONDS TO MAYOR ADAMS’ STATE OF THE CITY See VOCAL-NY’s 2023 Policy Platform for Mayor Adams and the New York City Council NEW YORK — Today, in response to Mayor Adams second annual State of the City, VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Jawanza Williams, VOCAL-NY Director of Organizing: “Today we heard little about

VOCAL-NY Responds to Mayor Adams’ State of the City Read More »

GOTHAM GAZETTE: What Wasn’t in Hochul’s 2023 State of the State Agenda:

“The Governor’s answer to the worst overdose crisis in New York’s history is to increase penalties for fentanyl and drug-induced homicide laws that only advance the War on Drugs, rather than the fight to save lives,” said Jawanza Williams, director of organizing for VOCAL-NY, an advocacy group. “Most egregious of all: Hochul’s complete omission of

GOTHAM GAZETTE: What Wasn’t in Hochul’s 2023 State of the State Agenda: Read More »

TIMES UNION: Cautious policies for opioid crisis miss the mark, advocates say:

Jasmine Budnella, the director of policy for VOCAL-NY, a drug-user advocacy group, applauded the investment in drug-checking technology and pointed to its pilot use at New York City’s two safe injection sites, also referred to as overdose prevention centers, where staff have been utilizing drug-checking technology to screen users’ samples.  Advocates are still disappointed in

TIMES UNION: Cautious policies for opioid crisis miss the mark, advocates say: Read More »

VOCAL-NY Slams Gov. Hochul After NYC 2021 Overdose Data Released

CONTACT: Jasmine Budnella, jasmine@vocal-ny.org//Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY SLAMS GOV. HOCHUL AFTER NYC 2021 OVERDOSE DATA RELEASED Governor Hochul Recently Rejected the Opioid Settlement Board’s Recommendation to Use Settlement Funds to Keep Overdose Prevention Centers Running NEW YORK — After calling on Mayor Adams and DOHMH Commissioner Vasan to release finalized 2021 overdose data, new data was released yesterday illustrating significant increases in preventable overdoses.

VOCAL-NY Slams Gov. Hochul After NYC 2021 Overdose Data Released Read More »

CITY & STATE: Will hochul come around on supervised injection sites?:

Last year, a state panel tasked with determining how to spend over $2 billion in settlement funds from drug companies that had a role in the addiction crisis recommended that some of that money should fund the supervised injection sites. But the governor’s administration rejected that proposal. State Office of Addiction Services and Support Commissioner Chinazo

CITY & STATE: Will hochul come around on supervised injection sites?: Read More »

PATCH: NYC Stalls Vital OD Data, Puts Safe Injection Sites At Risk:

NEW YORK CITY — The true scope of New York City’s fatal overdose problem for the past two years remains unknown because city officials have dragged their feet on the literal life-and-death data, advocates charged. The city needs to release fatal overdose numbers from three months of 2021 and all of 2022, advocates with VOCAL-NY

PATCH: NYC Stalls Vital OD Data, Puts Safe Injection Sites At Risk: Read More »

Missing Data: VOCAL-NY Calls on Mayor Adams & DOHMH Commissioner Vasan to Release Overdose Data

Contact: Jasmine Budnella, Jasmine@vocal-ny.org MISSING DATA: VOCAL-NY CALLS ON MAYOR ADAMS & DOHMH COMMISSIONER VASAN TO RELEASE OVERDOSE DATA NEW YORK — In response to news that New York City’s Overdose Prevention Centers will run out of funding by February, and  Mayor Adams and DOHMH Commissioner Vasan withholding 2021 finalized overdose data detailing the fatal

Missing Data: VOCAL-NY Calls on Mayor Adams & DOHMH Commissioner Vasan to Release Overdose Data Read More »

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