New York City’s Groundbreaking Support Program for Families of Overdose Deaths Reached 750+ Individuals

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham announced Friday that the city has treated more than 750 family members of overdose deaths through a support program, the first in the country, through a support program. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).

Since its launch in late 2022, OCME’s Drug Intervention and Information Group (DIIG), a unit made up of trained social workers and public health professionals, has offered support to family members who are still lives and intimate connections as they face the urgent needs after the overdose. the death of loved ones.

“As the fentanyl crisis continues to ravage communities across the country, New York City is taking action to save lives and support loved ones left behind,” said Mayor Adams. “New Yorkers who lose loved ones to drug overdose need our help without stigma, and this first-in-the-country model will give them the support they deserve.”

Almost 80 percent of those contacted, more than 750 people, accepted a wide range of services, including grief and bereavement support, mental health and substance use counselling, medical care and housing support.

The DIIG program builds on the city’s work to reduce opioid deaths by 25 percent by 2030 as part of Mayor Adams’ ‘HealthyNYC’ plan to extend the life expectancy of all New Yorkers.

“The opioid crisis affects every community in our city, and fatal drug overdoses leave behind loved ones who often struggle in silence with unmet needs. has been achieved,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Graham. “Our program recognizes the unique challenges facing this diverse population of New Yorkers and develops a place the medical examiner to include connecting them to care and services for surviving family members, with the goal of improving and even saving lives.”

Launched in late 2022 as the first initiative of its kind in a coroner’s office, DIIG has expanded from a small pilot program to a fully staffed program focused on the most diverse needs of bereaved communities. from fatal drug overdoses. Currently, the program is reaching almost 80 percent of the close contacts it wants to reach. Reducing overdose deaths is at the heart of “HealthyNYC,” the city’s ambitious health agenda that aims to increase New Yorkers’ life expectancy to 83 years by 2030.

“The overdose crisis has claimed lives in our city and loved ones in our region,” said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “Supporting the loved ones of those we’ve lost, whether it’s dealing with the emotional impact or accessing resources, is an invaluable tool as we work together to make New York City promote healthier.”