NYC Health Department Expands Overdose Prevention Program to 16th Hospital As New Data Show Overdose Deaths Remain Steady

NYC Health Department Expands Overdose Prevention Program to 16th Hospital As New Data Show Overdose Deaths Remain Steady

A Peer-Led Overdose Response Program - Relay - Now Reaches Patients at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn Who Experienced a Nonfatal Overdose

New Data Show Sustained Reduction in Overdose Deaths in New York City Continued Into 2025 Following 2024 Decrease, With the Fewest Deaths in the First Three Months of Any Year Since 2020

February 11, 2026 - The New York City Health Department announced today the expansion of Relay - a hospital-based, peer-led overdose prevention program - to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, bringing the number of locations where New Yorkers can access this lifesaving program to 16. Launched in 2017, Relay connects people who have experienced a nonfatal overdose with a trained professional with lived experience to facilitate access to resources, support, and overdose prevention education.

The expansion of this lifesaving program comes as the NYC Health Department releases new data showing a continued downward trend in overdose deaths through the first three months of 2025. During that time, there were 441 confirmed overdose deaths in New York City - the lowest in the first three months of any year since 2020. Last year, provisional data from 2024 marked the first significant decrease in overdose deaths in New York City after nearly a decade of increases, down to 2,192 from 3,056 in 2023.

"Too many New Yorkers have lost their lives to the opioid crisis," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "Programs like Relay save lives by meeting people at their most difficult moments and connecting them with real support and a path to recovery. Expanding this program is a critical step in reducing overdose deaths and confronting a crisis that touches every neighborhood in our city."

"New York City is seeing promising trends in declining overdose deaths, but we must - and will - continue to invest in evidence-based overdose prevention efforts that keep our family members, friends, and neighbors alive and connected to care," said New York City Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. "Relay allows us to connect directly with New Yorkers in need at a critical moment in their pathway to recovery. This program is built on the understanding that community is healing - that is what makes it so impactful."

Through Relay, when a patient presents to a participating hospital following a nonfatal opioid overdose, a peer Wellness Advocate is dispatched to the emergency department and arrives within 60 minutes. In addition to on-site support and overdose prevention training, Wellness Advocates offer ongoing support and linkage to care for 90 days following a hospital discharge.

Relay plays a critical role in connecting New Yorkers at increased risk of a fatal overdose with resources, support, and education that can prevent a future overdose. Between the program's launch and the end of 2024, Wellness Advocates distributed 10,359 naloxone kits, delivered individualized overdose risk reduction education 14,390 times, and provided 6,155 referrals to other service providers including harm reduction, health care, mental health, and substance use disorder services. In 2024, Relay offered services to 1,768 patients - 94% accepted services in the emergency department.

This expansion is part of the agency's ongoing effort to bolster substance use services using funds secured through opioid settlements. Previous allocations through the New York City Health Department have supported expanded hours and health services at OnPoint NYC, enhancing access to treatment, and supporting harm reduction, recovery, and treatment services on Staten Island.

988 is available 24/7 to connect people with trained counselors through call, text, and online chat to confidentially make connections to mental health and substance use resources. Additional resources can be found on the NYC Health Department's website.

"Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is extremely grateful to be partnering with the NYC Health Department to implement the Relay program and support our patients and our communities that are affected by opioid overdoses," said Wyckoff Heights Medical Center President and CEO Vali Gache. "We are eager to prevent the next fatal fentanyl overdose in our communities and provide the wraparound support services that our patients deserve."

"After more than two decades working to support recovery for New Yorkers by sharing my lived experience, there is no model like Relay," said Wellness Advocate Alan D. "It's incredible to be able to meet people directly where they are to connect them to resources, give them hope and help them stay alive."

"Wyckoff has been on the front lines of the community's response to the overdose crisis, and the only way we are going to continue making progress is with proven solutions that work," said City Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez. "Expanding the Relay program means meeting people with care, dignity, and real support when they need it most."

"I'm thrilled that the NYC Health Department is expanding the Relay program to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Peer-to-peer care is an essential intervention for treating substance abuse, and I'm thankful more Brooklynites will have access to this lifesaving care. This is what compassionate care looks like, and I'm proud that the NYC Health Department is leading the way," said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

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