Ahead of Sunday’s International Overdose Awareness Day, Dr. Christopher Calandrella, chair of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, took part in a tabling event on Thursday, providing education about substance misuse and distributing free NARCAN rescue kits in front of the hospital and at the Northwell-Go Health Urgent Care site at 98-81 Queens Blvd.
“It’s incredibly important to educate our community about substance use disorder and provide resources for people who may be dealing with this or know someone who is,” Calandrella said. “Our goal for these events is to support narcotic rehabilitation programs, which are part of a New York State-sponsored harm reduction program.”
According to the Department of Health, there were over 80,000 fatal overdoses in the United States in 2024, which Northwell sees as a call to action about improving education, awareness, and harm reduction strategies. In 2023, there were a reported 3,046 overdose fatalities in New York City, with rates of death still remaining disproportionately higher among Black and Latino New Yorkers, and residents of very high-poverty neighborhoods.
The Narcan rescue kits that were distributed contain Naloxone, a rescue medication for suspected overdose patients. The kit typically contains 2 Narcan devices, two gloves, one facemask, one infographic, a New York State Overdose reporting form, a link to phone apps, and an information card.
“Substance use disorder is still a serious public health challenge,” Calandrella said. “While we are starting to see a slight decrease in the number of cases coming into our hospitals, we must continue to inform the public about the dangers associated with opioid misuse and overdose.”
