The oversaturation of substance use programs in Harlem and East Harlem has been proven repeatedly. Our community hosts many more programs than are justified by our population, by our addiction rates, or even by drug-related death rates.
One question remains, where do patients who are admitted to New York City substance abuse programs come from?
Using data from a 2020 FOIL request to OASAS on admission data, I have mapped where patients who attend NYC’s substance abuse programs come from. The result is fascinatingly national. From San Diego to Maine, from Miami Beach to Anchorage Alaska, men and women are admitted to New York addiction programs.
In the maps below, the red dots indicate the homes of people who are admitted to New York City’s substance abuse programs. The larger and darker the red, the greater number of admitted patients.
The fine print:
Admissions to NYS OASAS‐certified Chemical Dependence Treatment Programs Located
in NYC by Zip Code of Residence, from March 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020
Data Source: NYS OASAS Data Warehouse, CDS extract of 8/30/2020
- Admissions are not counts of individual people. A person can be admitted to treatment
more than once throughout the time period. - The data included in this presentation represent only admissions of patients to the
OASAS‐certified treatment system. It is important to keep in mind that these data do not
include individuals who do not enter treatment, get treated by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA), go outside of New York State for treatment, are admitted to
hospitals but not to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment, get diverted to other
systems, or receive an addictions medication from a physician outside of the OASAS
system of care. - Data includes significant others.
- Admissions are not limited to residents of NYC
To see the live map (you can hover over a dot to learn more):
https://fordham.carto.com/u/shill18/builder/dcea5644-f522-48dd-bba2-22078457109b/embed
Plastic Bags? Use a Tote, Instead
The delayed plastic bag ban has gone into effect, today.
Don’t forget to bring a tote with you whenever you leave the house. For an awesome option, try this stylish Harlem Tote:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/627213664/harlem-map-tote-bag
To see more great items: