Local OFR Profile : New York City, New York

The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) provides financial assistance and training and technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, and treat those who are impacted by substance use. The overdose fatality review (OFR) process embodies multidisciplinary partnerships and collaboration by facilitating the collection and sharing of data across systems to understand and address the impact of substance use.

Learn why BJA values NYC RxStat:

The New York City, New York (NYC) RxStat initiative was established in 2012 as an interagency collaboration to create data-driven strategies to reduce prescription overdoses. The public health and public safety-led partnership utilizes data from different agencies to inform overdose prevention efforts. Over the years, the meeting structure expanded to include three separate meeting types focused on drug trends, OFR, and actions.

Learn more about the development of RxStat from the RxStat OFR Coordinator:

The NYC RxStat Executive Leadership consists of key stakeholders who act as decision makers within their respective agencies:

• Allan Clear — Director of AIDS Institute Office of Drug User Health, New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH)
• Jason Graham — Chief Medical Examiner, New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner
• Alex Harocopos — Senior Director of Research and Surveillance, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care, and Treatment, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Chauncey Parker — Deputy Commissioner of Collaborative Policing, New York City Police Department (NYPD); Director of New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)
• Terri Tobin — Chief of Interagency Operations, New York City Police Department (NYPD)

The conversations between these diverse stakeholders facilitate a multidisciplinary approach to policy, intervention, and prevention strategies. Watch the Executive Leadership discuss various topics as they relate to NYC’s response to overdose: