Mayor Adams to Ramp Up Annual Support to $50 Million for Opioid Prevention, Treatment, From Major Settlements Secured by City of New York, Attorney General James

September 10, 2024

Builds on 2022 Investments Made to Improve Substance Use Care in Behavioral Health and Emergency Department Settings, Expand Health Services at Syringe Services Programs, Support Grieving Families 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the administration’s plans for applying $50 million in funding annually by Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 to combat the opioid addiction crisis New Yorkers continue to face. The funds — obtained through litigation efforts and settlements secured by both the New York City Law Department and the Office of New York Attorney General Letitia James — will support programming at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H), and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and build on the city’s initial investments by focusing on supporting programs operated by community-based partners, which are critical allies in the work to prevent and reduce overdoses.

In January 2018, the City of New York sued manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids to remedy the harms caused within the city by the misleading marketing and improper distribution of these drugs. Attorney General James filed a similar lawsuit in March 2019. Settlements reached by both the city and the state, as well as a court victory by Attorney General James, have provided the city with over $154 million to-date, which is expected to total more than $500 million by 2040. In June 2022, Mayor Adams and Attorney General James announced allocations for the first of hundreds of millions of dollars coming to New York City to combat the opioid crisis.

“Too many New Yorkers, and too many Americans, have been lost to the opioid epidemic,” said Mayor Adams. “For years, drug companies knowingly hooked patients in pain on powerful opioids, raking in billions of dollars even as they knew they were causing harm. But New Yorkers were never going to let them get away with this. Because of the City of New York and New York State Attorney General James’ lawsuits against these companies, we are helping communities heal from this crisis. I thank Attorney General James for her staunch determination to fight for the victims of this crisis and their families. Today’s announcement lays out a plan for the next round of investments that will bring us to $50 million annually and allow us to expand access to treatment through community-based partners, strengthen harm reduction programs, and . We will always fight to protect our people, families, and communities, and this much-needed settlement money will help us do just that." 

“For far too long, the opioid crisis has left a trail of devastation across New York, tearing families and communities apart,” said Attorney General James. “We made a promise to New Yorkers to go after the companies responsible for this crisis, and, once again, we are making good on this commitment and delivering funds for treatment and prevention efforts. From new resources at New York City’s hospitals to on-the-ground education efforts in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, the funds that Mayor Adams is distributing today will go a long way in supporting our most vulnerable communities. I thank Mayor Adams and his administration for their continued work to tackle this crisis and support all those who are struggling.”

“If it were not for COVID-19, the opioid overdose crisis would be the single biggest public health issue of our time,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “While the pandemic has calmed, the opioid issue continues to persist, touching tens of thousands nationwide and thousands of families here in New York City. The investments announced today build upon those made with the first tranche of funds and continue to bolster supports for substance use programming in the community, improving access to resources. We are also strengthening our grasp of the issue with investments in data infrastructure and laboratory work to speed up toxicology testing to inform our public health and law enforcement communities. Ultimately, this plan will deliver resources where they are most needed and build the systems of support to help every individual and family touched by this issue.” 

“We continue to lose too many New Yorkers to opioid overdose deaths,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “These funds will help keep our neighbors alive by providing critical connections to care in safe and supportive environments, access to treatment for opioid use disorder, and expanded access to life-saving overdose prevention services. DOHMH will continue to invest in a comprehensive approach, partnering with health care systems and trusted community organizations, and ensuring that all New Yorkers feel they can be a part of the solution to this public health crisis.”

“As the largest provider of behavioral health services in the city, our hospitals see thousands of patients each year who are battling opioid use disorder,” said NYC H+H President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “The funds announced today will significantly expand our ability to reach more individuals in need, providing them with the critical support and treatment necessary to overcome addiction and reclaim their lives.”

“Timely and accurate data helps families cope with the loss of a loved one and gives our partner agencies crucial insights that inform strategies to prevent overdoses,” said New York City Chief Medical Examiner Jason Graham, MD. “These new investments will fortify our capacity to analyze information and deliver expedited results, while building on our outreach to grieving families expanded in prior investments. The overdose crisis is a multi-faceted emergency that must be approached from every possible angle to save lives.”  

DOHMH Investments

DOHMH’s investments will total $24 million annually by FY26. In addition to the initial investment that supports expanded hours and syringe services programs at Overdose Prevention Centers, these funds will:

• Support wraparound services for syringe service programs, including on-site medical care, connections to health care and social services, and support for basic needs.
• Expand Relay, a non-fatal opioid overdose response program, to bring the total number of participating hospitals up to 17.
• Expand recovery support for people with current or previous substance use disorders, including employment coaching, community-based support, and life-skills training.
• Fund substance use disorder treatment providers to increase access to buprenorphine and methadone. In December 2023, the administration announced $3 million for providers on Staten Island to directly support the expansion of harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services in the borough. Funds will be used for buprenorphine expansion, increasing outreach and engagement, and increasing care navigation services, among other services.

NYC H+H Investments

NYC H+H’s investments will total $22 million annually by FY27. In addition to the initial investment that supports substance use treatment and provider training across various settings in the system, these funds will:

• Add addiction counselors to support addiction in birthing units across all 11 public hospitals in the system. This critical work will help expecting families and their children at a time of high risk and promote the administration’s goals to decrease maternal mortality.  
• Launch Addiction Response Teams, a new model that will provide expanded medical and behavioral addiction coverage, to three hospitals: NYC H+H/Harlem, NYC H+H/Jacobi, and NYC H+H/Queens. This model will provide rapid delivery of life-saving medications for opioid use disorder directly in emergency rooms and inpatient units, as well as immediate access to ongoing outpatient addiction services.
• Support the city’s plans, announced in March 2024, to open a health and substance use disorder clinic for pregnant and postpartum women and their families with an investment of $8 million. This clinic will offer pregnant and parenting individuals living with substance use disorders a safe and supportive place to access prenatal and post-natal care, addiction medicine, and behavioral health care.

OCME Investments

 OCME’s investments total $4 million annually. In addition to the initial investment that supports the Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group, which offers tailored support for the families of drug overdose decedents by connecting them to critical mental health and social support services in the crucial window following an overdose death, these funds will:

• Support the hiring of additional scientists and support staff, provide new equipment and physical upgrades to the forensic toxicology laboratory, and allow for information technology improvements. OCME aims to reduce turnaround times by half over the next year to expedite answers for grieving families and data to partners in the public health system.

As of June 2024, the end of FY24, New York City had received $154 million in opioid settlement funds. The annual budget for FY24 was $33 million; an analysis of the impact of these investments can be found in the city’s most recent Opioid Settlement Funds Report issued in September 2024. Across programs, New York City has served thousands of New Yorkers and their families. The OCME’s Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group program has served 1,300 individuals. In FY24, syringe service programs that operate overdose prevention centers connected more than 6,600 participants with more than 25,000 services to reduce risk of overdose, provide supports, and referrals for treatment. Since beginning to receive opioid settlement funds, NYC H+H has provided comprehensive addiction consultations to 11,382 inpatient admissions  through the Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals program and had 8,321 patient engagements with expanded substance use services at Street Health Outreach and Wellness vans. Earlier this month, through the , NYC H+H launched its cutting-edge addiction stimulation training for Emergency Department prescribers, the first of several training initiatives through this program.

This expanded funding comes at an urgent time. Despite a slight decline in U.S. overdose deaths in 2023, fatalities remain at crisis-levels nationwide. . Fentanyl continued to be the most common substance involved in overdose deaths, present in 81 percent of overdose deaths in New York City in 2022. Very recently, carfentanil has been identified in a small number of overdose deaths in New York City and has been found in trace or small amounts of samples tested by DOHMH’s drug-checking program.

Today’s investments will help New York City expand and build upon initiatives that save lives and provide access to treatment and other services. “Care, Community, Action,” the city’s mental health plan, highlights the needs of those at risk of an overdose and has set ambitious goals to reduce total overdose deaths across the five boroughs. Steps taken since its launch include expanding the Relay program to Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, expanding access to low-barrier treatment and harm reduction services, and increasing the availability of the overdose reversal medication naloxone, as well as fentanyl test strips to New Yorkers.

New York City also has the first two publicly recognized Overdose Prevention Centers in the nation, which provide a continuum of services to address basic needs and offer connections to treatment for people who use drugs. Since opening in November 2021, the two Overdose Prevention Centers have successfully intervened in more than 1,500 potential overdoses to reduce overdose-related injuries and deaths. 

Today’s investment and all of the actions taken by Mayor Adams and the Adams administration to prevent overdose deaths also underscore the administration’s efforts to improve and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers through “HealthyNYC” to 83 years by 2030. HealthyNYC sets ambitious targets to address the greatest drivers of premature death, including chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19.

“I want to thank Mayor Adams for his dedicated efforts and Attorney General James for securing these essential funds to combat the opioid epidemic,” said New York State Assemblymember Charles D. Fall. “This $50 million annual support is a lifeline for New York City, particularly for Staten Island, which has been hit hardest by this crisis. By improving access to treatment and education, supporting our local organizations, and strengthening harm reduction initiatives, we can make significant progress in addressing this crisis. The enhanced data infrastructure will also enable us to tackle the opioid issue more effectively, ultimately saving lives and fostering a healthier future for our community.”  

“As an assemblymember committed to improving public health and safety, I firmly believe increased funding for opioid addiction treatment and prevention programs is not just a necessity, but a moral imperative,” said New York State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs. “New York City must invest in comprehensive solutions that address the root causes of addiction, provide effective treatment options, and support our communities in healing. Every dollar dedicated to combating this crisis is a step toward saving lives and building a healthier, more resilient city.” 

“Congratulations and thank you to Attorney General James and Mayor Adams for successfully securing these opioid settlement funds and getting the money where it needs to go,” said New York State Assemblymember Sam Pirozzolo. “Opioid addiction is a leading public health crisis in New York City and every penny that can go towards saving lives is a wonderful thing.”

“Opioids are now involved in 84 percent of overdose deaths in our city, taking the lives of hundreds of our loved ones each year,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “As the daughter of doctors who worked in drug addiction medicine, I am deeply committed to partnering with all stakeholders to turn this situation around. In Albany, I worked to pass a budget allocating $90 million from the Opioid Settlement Fund for treatment and harm reduction across the state. Mayor Adams is now putting the city’s share of funds into action in our effort to end this epidemic for good. We will support intervention services including treatment, outreach, and aid for those harmed by opioids, as well as improved data collection. This work builds upon the $12 million investment we launched last year to address opioid abuse. Through this prudent spending, we will save the lives of all New Yorkers impacted by opioid addiction.”

“Increasing accessibility to opioid use disorder treatment gives New Yorkers help when they need it most and will save lives,” said New York State Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr. “Building partnerships with likeminded, community-based partners whose harm-reduction programs help so many, is vital to this effort. I strongly support the Adams administration’s efforts to secure $50 million in funding to make this a reality.”

“We have far too many opioid overdoses in the Bronx,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark. “Our community suffers from one of the highest rates of fatal overdoses in the nation. Supporting community programs will promote accessibility to treatment, education, and prevention services. Providing emotional support for grieving families is a vital step to helping them cope with the loss of their loved one, as well as a prevention measure. I applaud Mayor Adams for his wise allocation of the hundreds of millions of dollars that New York State Attorney General Letitia James secured from manufacturers and distributors who flooded the Bronx with these harmful drugs.”

“About two years ago, we determined that Staten Island would not be receiving any of the opioid settlement money, despite the fact there had been, and continues to be, too many lives lost to addictions and overdoses,” said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. “We worked with the mayor's office and other elected officials to change how the money would be distributed. Fortunately, we prevailed. As a result, Staten Island providers will now be receiving funding to help combat and reduce the opioid and other drug related issues here, especially for young people. We thank the mayor for hearing our case and helping to change a policy that would have hurt Staten Island.”

“The ongoing opioid crisis has had a disproportionate effect on many of our communities and has claimed the lives of too many of our residents,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “Today`s announcement is a significant commitment to combatting the opioid epidemic in our city. I want to thank Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor Eric Adams for their continued advocacy in support the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of New Yorkers struggling with opioid addiction and will ensure our municipalities have the tools to expand harm reduction services and treatment for our most vulnerable residents.”

“As the chair of the Council's committee on hospitals and a registered nurse, I am deeply committed to addressing the opioid crisis that continues to devastate our communities,” said New York City Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, chair, Committee on Hospitals. “I would like to praise Mayor Adams, as this $50 million annual investment is a critical step forward in our fight against opioid addiction. This funding will provide essential treatment and crucial support services and allow us to better understand and respond to the needs of those so severely affected by this crisis in real-time. I am delighted to support this initiative and remain dedicated to working alongside Mayor Adams, our health care providers and community organizations to ensure a healthier, safer New York City for all.” 

“I am thrilled that this crucial investment in opioid prevention, treatment, and education is coming into fruition,” said New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam. “The opioid crisis has been ravaging the nation, disproportionately affecting individuals and families in communities just like Harlem. This $50 million annual commitment secured by Mayor Adams and Attorney General James is the kind of city-state partnership that will not only save lives, but also restore hope to countless families affected by the scourge of these substances. I thank them for their leadership in helping build a future where every New Yorker has the support they need to overcome opioid addiction and reclaim their lives.” 

“Opioid addiction is one of the most prevalent substance abuse issues facing New Yorkers,” said New York City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, chair, Health Committee.  The investment of opioid settlement funds to support community-based programming to prevent and reduce overdoses, announced today, is critical to saving the lives of those most in need of intervention.”