MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS LEGISLATION PROVIDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT SERVICES AND ESTABLISHING CITYWIDE ANIMAL SHELTERS

  Today, Mayor de Blasio signed seven bills to provide substance abuse treatment and prevention services to New Yorkers. The Mayor also signed a bill requiring the creation of full-time animal shelters in all five boroughs.

“The City is committed to fighting the opioid epidemic with every tool we have. The legislation signed today will help us ensure that all New Yorkers struggling with substance abuse have access to the care they need,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We also know how much New Yorkers love their pets, and this expansion of our shelter system will help more animals  find permanent homes.”

“The opioid epidemic has already taken too many lives and hurt too many families in New York, and I am proud that the Council’s package of legislation on this dire issue will be signed into law today. These treatment, prevention, and education measures will lend an immediate hand to New Yorkers who desperately need help to fight the opioid scourge,” said Speaker Corey Johnson. “I am also thrilled Council Member Vallone’s bill providing for animal shelters in all five boroughs is becoming law today. This has been a pet issue of both of ours for years now, and it is a major step forward for how this city takes care of its furry friends.”

Providing Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention Services

The opioid epidemic has had serious effects on families throughout New York City. Rates of drug overdose deaths in New York City more than doubled between 2010 and 2016, increasing from 8.2 per 100,000 residents in 2010 to 19.9 per 100,000 residents in 2016. DOHMH reports that while drug overdose deaths affect every neighborhood and demographic in New York City, residents of impoverished neighborhoods are the hardest hit.

In March, the Mayor announced an additional $22 million investment in HealingNYC, the citywide plan to combat the opioid epidemic. This new investment will create peer intervention programs at more hospitals across the City, increase naloxone distribution and training on how to use this lifesaving drug, and connect more New Yorkers struggling with substance misuse to treatment. The legislation signed today furthers the critical mission of reducing opioid overdose deaths.

• Intro 615-A requires the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to provide opioid overdose reversal drugs, such as naloxone, to all syringe exchange programs operating in the City.

• Intro 618-A requires the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop age appropriate educational materials on drug and opioid awareness and prevention.

• Intro 623-A requires the Fire Department of New York to report on the number of opioid antagonists the department has available, the number of EMTs and other department employees trained to administer opioid antagonists, and the number of opioid overdose reversal drugs administered by EMTs.

• Intro 667-A requires the Department of Social Services to refer individuals residing in Department of Homeless Services’ shelters or HIV/AIDS Service Administration (HASA) facilities that suffered a non-fatal overdose to additional services.

• Intro 668-A requires the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to provide opioid overdose prevention and reversal training to the public

• Intro 669-A requires the Municipal Drug Strategy Advisory Council, a council established by Local Law 48 of 2017 and comprised of health care professionals, advocates, and persons suffering from substance misuse disorder, to include in its biennial report the number of opioid overdose reversal drugs that are distributed to City agencies.

• Intro 717-A requires the New York City Police Department to report quarterly – to the City Council and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – on the number of opioid antagonists the department has available, the number of officers trained to administer opioid antagonists, and the number of opioid overdose reversal drugs administered by NYPD Officers.

Establishing Animal Shelters in Every Borough

The de Blasio administration has taken steps to expand and improve the animal shelter system in New York City. Animal Care Centers, the city’s open-admission shelters, have been funded at record levels and have seen historic animal placement. Facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island will receive substantial capital improvements and new shelters will be constructed in the Bronx and Queens.

• Intro 401-A requires the DOHMH to ensure that full-service animal shelters are operated in all five boroughs by July 1, 2024. While the City operates facilities to receive lost, stray, or homeless dogs and cats in the Bronx and Queens, neither borough is currently served by a full-service animal shelter.