Policy

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Alliance for Positive Change Statement on FDA’s Approval of OTC Narcan

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 29, 2023

Contacts: Sophie Crumpacker, sophie@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7128 // Lauren Mannerberg, lauren@anatgerstein.com, 929-553-7702

(New York, NY)- Alliance for Positive Change issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to make Narcan, a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses, available over the counter:

“Alliance for Positive Change applauds the Federal Drug Administration’s decision to make Narcan available without a prescription. In New York City, the overdose crisis has reached historic levels—2,668 individuals died of a drug overdose in 2021, an increase of 78 percent since 2019 and 27 percent since 2020. We know that getting this safe and easy-to-use medication into the hands of more New Yorkers will save lives.

However, people who do not have the resources to purchase Narcan will likely continue to face barriers to accessing it. We hope that over-the-counter Narcan will be covered by private and public insurance plans, and that this decision motivates local and federal leaders to invest in programs that provide free harm reduction resources in communities most impacted by the overdose crisis. At the Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center, we are proud to provide free Narcan trainings and kits to equip thousands of people to administer it in the event of an overdose. Community providers like Alliance will continue to play a critical role in providing free, culturally competent, nonjudgmental harm reduction services, including Narcan.

Finally, Narcan is just one tool in a suite of harm reduction options that are often misunderstood or stigmatized. We hope this decision will lead to expanded access to other evidence-based interventions, like fentanyl test strips and syringe exchanges.”

About Alliance for Positive Change

Alliance for Positive Change is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and our renowned peer training and job placement program that cultivates leadership and economic mobility. Alliance opened in 1991, at the height of the HIV crisis—a welcoming community of transformation and opportunity. Today, we deliver on the promise of Positive Change with services and resources that equip people to navigate systemic inequities and achieve health and well-being. Learn about all the ways we inspire Positive Change at www.alliance.nyc.

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Alliance Joins The Bronx Social Justice and Anti-Violence Forums to Discuss 340B Pharmacy Carveout

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Alliance’s Program Manager of Criminal Justice Initiative, Eugene Eppes, and Director of Administration, Brooke Montes spoke with host Daren Jaime about how the 340B pharmacy carveout threatens public health, as well as how to make your voice heard before the deadline of April 1.

“Health inquiries were really exacerbated and highlighted during the pandemic, so to take [the pharmacy benefit] from the people who need it, who were the hardest hit from the pandemic,” explains Brooke. “Our very own Senator Rivera of the Bronx has introduced a bill, S5136, and our Health Chairs in the Senate and the Assembly have put a rejection in the one house budget." Supporters are encouraged to contact their legislators and urge them to reject the carveout today.

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Arnaldo Jara's op-ed opposing cuts to the Health Homes Program

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Arnaldo Jara, Alliance's Director of outposting care management, penned an op-ed in Lohud calling on New York State to reject a misleading proposal to “Recalibrate the Health Home Program.” This proposal would strip services for thousands of Medicaid participants with chronic health conditions, throwing them out of the Health Home program after 9 months and jeopardizing their wellbeing. Arnaldo writes, in part:

"We hope the governor will stand by her commitment to fortify New York’s health care system and improve the continuum of care by investing in the Health Home model, not destroying it."

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NYC Health Commissioner pens op-ed opposing the 340B Pharmacy benefit carveout

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Alliance has long opposed the “Cuomo carveout” which would devastate community health centers like ours, and deprive our participants of essential services. As further proof that the carve out is totally misguided and out of step with the needs of New Yorkers, New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan published an op-ed today in support of stopping the carve-out, writing, in part:

“Safety net providers, hospitals and other 340B entities throughout the state have used this program to offer critical medical care and help connect underserved, low-income patients to an array of supportive services that allow them to live longer, healthier lives…Each crisis underscores the importance of our safety net. The carve-out will rip a hole in this net, and many will fall through the cracks, exacerbating inequities and hindering progress in preventing disease. State legislators should repeal this policy and allow 340B entities to continue receiving savings”

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Alliance and Save NY's Safety Net Rally for Community Health in Albany

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This Tuesday, Valentine’s Day 2023, over a dozen Alliance staff, Peers, and program participants joined 100 allies from fellow community health providers to protest the state’s plan to carve out Medicaid benefits for 8 million New Yorkers.

“Without intervention by April 1, safety net providers will lose critical resources to care for our communities. The pharmacy benefit program funds services for over 1,000 people at Alliance, alone. Cutting this funding would be a massive moral failure of government.”
— Brenda Starks-Ross, COO, Alliance
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Alliance Provides Narcan Training to New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein and District Staff

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(New York, N.Y.)— Alliance for Positive Change partnered with New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to provide an in-person training on how to identify and reverse drug overdoses by administering Naloxone. The Assembly Member and his district staff members received their Naloxone responder kits yesterday at his Avenue B office. Opioid overdose reversal medication can be used by non-medical professionals to temporarily reverse the effects of opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, particularly in situations of overdose. The nonprofit conducts over 100 overdose prevention trainings annually for the community, corporations, local businesses, and elected officials.

The overdose crisis has become one of the most pressing issues of our time; opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, and overdose deaths reached historic highs in New York City during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.  

The NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene reports that in the first two quarters of 2021, there were 1,233 overdose deaths in New York City, compared to 965 overdose deaths during the same period in 2020. COVID, combined with the rising prevalence of fentanyl, led to over 100,000 Americans losing their lives to drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021, up almost 30% from the previous year. We must give all New Yorkers the tools to protect against overdose.

“We are proud to partner with Assembly Member Harvey Epstein’s office to promote the health and safety of New Yorkers,” says Alliance for Positive Change Chief Program Officer of Prevention Services Ramona Cummings. “New York City is facing the same overdose crisis as many regions across our country, and we thank the Assembly Member and his staff for recognizing the need to gain the skills to prevent unnecessary deaths. We must work together to end this crisis.”

“The most complex public health challenges require all of us to play a part. We know a harm reduction model is very effective when it comes to preventing overdose deaths due to opioid use and knowing how to administer Narcan is a critical tool. We’re lucky to have organizations like Alliance for Positive Change doing the important work of keeping our communities safe through education and connections to services that address the root causes of public health crises. I want to thank them for their leadership and for training our staff,” said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.

Founded more than 30 years ago amid the height of the AIDS epidemic, Alliance is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, and job training. Alliance meets people where they are to access qualified healthcare, reduce risk, and explore harm reduction or recovery at their own pace. Alliance’s clinical interventions and supportive services include one-on-one counseling and coaching, education, and syringe exchange services.

About Alliance for Positive Change

Alliance for Positive Change is a leading multiservice organization that provides low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions with access to quality health care, housing, harm reduction, coaching, and renowned peer training and job placement programs that cultivate leadership and economic mobility. Alliance opened in 1991, at the height of the HIV crisis—a welcoming community of transformation and opportunity. Today, Alliance delivers on the promise of Positive Change with services and resources that equip people to navigate systemic inequities and achieve health and well-being. Learn about all the ways we inspire Positive Change at www.alliance.nyc

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Alliance COO Brenda Starks-Ross and Save New York Safety Net Coalition Fight Cuomo Carve Out

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“It’s imperative to have someone help them navigate through the system to make sure that all their needs are met so they can remain healthy,” said COO Brenda Starks-Ross in NY State of Politics on Tuesday, October 25. The article features several members of organizations comprising the Save New York Safety Net Coalition. With the SNYSN, we have staged rallies every month since June and gone up to Albany to rally against “The Cuomo Carve Out” which is scheduled to go into effect Spring 2023.

Alliance custom social media posts and call scripts to NYS officials to pass Safer Consumption Services Act expanding OPCs

We need your assistance raising awareness about the urgency of authorizing Overdose Prevention Centers (OPCs) and saving lives in New York State.

Overdose death rates are at an unprecedented high in the United States and New York State. The first authorized OPCs in the United States opened in New York City on November 30, 2021. Hundreds of lives have already been saved in the NYC facilities, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across New York.

In order to do so, New York State must pass the Safer Consumption Services Act (S603/A224), also known as SCSA. SCSA allows local health departments and the New York State Department of Health to authorize community-based organizations to operate OPCs. This legislation extends immunity to participants, staff members, and property owners from arrest, charges, and prosecution for criminal offenses and penalties for their participation or involvement in approved OPC programs.

Here’s how you can help:

1) Call your Senator and Assembly Member and urge them to co-sponsor Bill S603/A224. You can find your representatives phone number by clicking the links (find your Senator and Assembly Member) and entering your address. Here is a sample script when making your calls:

Hi my name is ________ and I am calling about Overdose Prevention Centers – also known as OPCs – and saving lives in New York State. Hundreds of lives have already been saved in the two NYC OPCs, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across New York.

In order to do so, New York State must pass the Safer Consumption Services Act and I am calling to ask you co-sponsor Bill S603/A224.

OPCs are controlled health care settings where people can more safely use pre-obtained drugs under clinical supervision and receive health care, counseling, and referrals to health and social services, including drug treatment. OPCs are important because they prevent fatal overdose especially for high-risk populations.

As a service provider working on the front lines of New York overdose crisis, I urge the New York State legislature to urgently pass S603/A224 to authorize the Department of Health to work with local health departments to implement Overdose Prevention Centers in high need areas across New York State.

Thank you.

2) Tweet your support for S603/A224 and post across social media, either writing the name of your State Senator and Assembly member, or, if they have a public social media page, tagging them. We have two draft posts below, which can be customized however you see fit:

A) Since NYC opened #OverdosePreventionCenters, hundreds of overdoses have been reversed and countless New Yorkers have received important health referrals. [OUR SENATOR] and [YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER] please pass S603/A224 #SaferConsumptionServicesAct

B) NYC #OverdosePreventionCenters have saved hundreds of lives, proving that they can and must be expanded in high needs areas across NY. [YOUR SENATOR] and [YOUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER] please pass S603/A224 #SaferConsumptionServicesAct

3) If you, a family member or someone you serve has been personally impacted by the overdose crisis you can also sign the letter of support for Bill (S603/A224). Please note, Alliance has already signed on as an organization so this would be a personal sign on.

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Alliance’s Floyd Mitchell in Gotham Gazette

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“I know what it’s like to be on the front lines of an infectious disease,” Floyd Mitchell, a harm reduction counselor at Alliance for Positive Change writes for the Gotham Gazette. “This time, it’s the twin tragedy of the dramatic rise in overdose deaths amid the pandemic due to the anxiety and isolation of life during lockdown.”

Beginning his career in harm reduction at the height of the HIV epidemic in the 1980’s, Floyd has seen it all, and understands the measures we must all take to support our neighbors battling substance use in these difficult times.