NYC Health + Hospitals Announces New Simulation Training for Emergency Department Providers Encountering Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

Jan 27, 2026

New York, NY - NYC Health + Hospitals today announced its new simulation training for Emergency Department providers to strengthen how they engage with patients living with opioid use disorder and those at risk of opioid overdose. Over 350 emergency department providers have participated in the training so far. The three-hour training comprises three scenarios by actors playing the role of patients experiencing consequences of opioid use, followed by a facilitated discussion to learn best clinical practices. The exercise trains providers on how to use person-centered, destigmatizing language with patients; screen patients for initiating buprenorphine, a life-saving treatment for opioid use disorder; and use tools in the electronic health record to streamline opioid treatment throughout the patient's stay in the Emergency Department. The training is offered at four facilities, including at NYC Health + Hospitals' state-of-the-art Simulation Center, all of which provide simulation-based education to advance patient safety and quality improvement initiatives. This is the first of several initiatives led by NYC Health + Hospitals' Addiction Services Workforce Training Program, which seek to promote a positive cultural and clinical shift in patient care for individuals living with opioid use disorder. The training is also part of NYC Health + Hospitals' larger effort to incorporate behavioral health simulation training into various settings throughout the system to enhance healthcare professionals' clinical skills and competence.

"Opioid Use Disorder is a major public health crisis affecting our city and we are working to turn things around," said Omar Fattal, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and System Chief of Behavioral Health."This ground-breaking simulation training will support a cultural and clinical shift in understanding patients living with opioid use disorder, representing a major step forward. It will help our clinicians approach these cases with a roadmap and medical best practices that will help our patients recover."

"With tens of thousands of patients presenting to our medical emergency departments annually, we have an opportunity to make a positive and lasting impact during each and every one of those encounters," said Daniel Schatz, MD, Medical Director of Addiction Services in the Office of Behavioral Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. "Whether it is making our patients feel seen, treating them with dignity, reducing risk, or starting life-saving treatment, this simulation experience is, and will, teach our staff how to more effectively offer these services in a patient-centered way."

"This new simulation training for Emergency Medicine providers demonstrates how NYC Health + Hospitals is leading the way in instituting innovative tools to help save lives and bolster the treatment and engagement of patients living with addiction," said Jacqueline Mahal, MD, MBA, Assistant Medical Director of the Workforce Training Program in the Office of Behavioral Health at NYC Health + Hospitals and Emergency Medicine Attending at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. "If providers feel empowered and comfortable to meet patients where they are, screen for and initiate the use of buprenorphine, and use person-centered and destigmatizing language, both our providers and patients will be more likely to internalize hope."

"Simulation training offers a unique opportunity in that it allows providers to get feedback on their bedside behaviors, which we rarely receive," said Michael Meguerdichian, MD, MPH-Ed, Chief System Medical Simulation Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. "In doing this, we get insights on how our language, our empathy, our body language, and more impact empowering individuals struggling with substance dependence to seek out help with their disease. It has also built more confidence in the tools available to our providers to shift thinking around how providers can make a difference."

A recent national study found only 1 in 5 individuals suffering from opioid use disorder receives evidence-based medications - specifically medications recommended by the National Academy of Medicine based on their proven effectiveness in reducing withdrawal symptoms, cravings, infectious diseases, and enhancing retention in treatment - to treat their addiction. In 2024, more than 2,000 New Yorkers died from a drug overdose, 78% of which involved opioids. At NYC Health + Hospitals, the majority of patients with opioid use disorder visit Emergency Departments and, in line with national statistics, most do not receive evidence-based treatment for their opioid use disorder. Barriers include a history of regulatory restrictions, stigma around addiction and opioid addiction in particular, and providers having limited tools to serve this high need and marginalized population.

Today's announcement builds on Mayor Adams' announcement last year related to the second round of Opioid Settlement Funding and the City's plan for investing $50 million annually in opioid prevention and treatment. The City's plan includes an additional $22 million for NYC Health + Hospitals that builds on the first round of funding to support substance use treatment and provide training across the system. This second round included funding for counselors with expertise in addiction care to support expectant mothers in birthing units across all 11 public hospitals, launching new Addiction Response Teams, and an upcoming health and substance use disorder clinic for pregnant and postpartum women and their families.

Finally, today's announcement represents NYC Health + Hospitals' larger workforce development strategy of incorporating behavioral health simulation into settings throughout the system. Simulation training has been shown to enhance healthcare professionals' clinical skills and competence. By practicing in a simulated environment, learners can refine their technical abilities, procedural skills, and decision-making, leading to better performance in real clinical situations. In addition, participants in simulation programs often report increased confidence in their clinical abilities and reduced stress when facing real-life scenarios.

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest provider of behavioral health in New York City. The system provides almost 60% of behavioral health services citywide serving over 78,000 patients annually across emergency, inpatient and outpatient care. This includes 10 outpatient substance use disorder clinics, four ancillary withdrawal programs, and four Opioid Treatment Programs. NYC Health + Hospitals also has an Emergency Department Leads (ED Leads) at every acute care facility that includes a team of clinicians and peers who identify patients at risk of substance use disorders and provide them with harm reduction resources before leaving the hospital.

###

MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]

#022-26

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth- all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.