Millions of dollars coming to fight opioid crisis in the Bronx
NEW YORK - New York City and state officials announced a multi-million dollar investment in their fight against the opioid crisis in the Bronx.
"We don't just talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. We have to show you the money, where our commitment is," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
Gibson is showing residents where that money is going: A brand new $6 million investment she and local and state officials are making into a Central Opioid Center at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx.
"It is going to centralize all the services from Gotham Belvis, all the services from the emergency room, and keep it right here in Lincoln in the main building," said Gibson.
The South Bronx, they say is the root of the problem, and has been fighting a deadly opioid crisis for the last several years. As a whole, the Bronx has the highest number of overdose deaths in all five boroughs.
"It's amazing that funding and attention is being drawn to this issue," said Steven Hernandez, the Chief of Staff of St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction. "We really see the need that people need access to proper health care."
For months, CBS News New York has covered the ongoing opioid crisis in the borough. In a one-on-one interview before the announcement, we showed Gibson just how widespread the needle issue is in St. Mary's Park. Although outreach programs have picked up thousands of these needles, Gibson says this is why the new clinic at Lincoln Hospital will be so critical.
"We want to really reassure residents in this borough that it is OK to come forward. It's OK to acknowledge that you need help, and there is a pathway to healing and recovery," said Gibson. "The alternative is going into a local park, like St. Mary's, and seeing needles and syringes all over the ground that children can pick up and access. That is the alternative of not having a sufficient amount of drug treatment programs."
Officials are hoping the center can open by 2025 on the sixth floor of Lincoln Hospital.
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