The opioid crisis in the U.S. that came to light over a decade ago has destroyed many lives, and New York has been aiding those affected with the Relay program, launched in 2017. On Feb. 11, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse held a press conference at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center with senior staff to announce their recent collaborative measures to expand the program to the hospital and treat those suspected of drug abuse in the long term by providing resources for recovery.
“Relay is a critical part of a larger network of care across New York City and we’ve been consistently expanding our efforts in overdose prevention and harm reduction,” Morse said. “It’s a very humbling experience to be a part of this expansion because we have come a long way in caring for New Yorkers who use substances, and we cannot stop now, even though the curve is changing and bending.”
The Relay program connects patients that physicians believe to be suffering from overdose or drug abuse to a wellness advocate from the DOHMH and came to Wyckoff Heights in October of last year. Patients are met with the advocate to provide support and are offered a “wellness bag” that contains a mask, socks, hygiene essentials and Narcan, as well as other resources for the next 90 days, the period with the highest rate of relapses. To date, 1,700 people across the City have been offered the program when admitted to an emergency department and 94% of them have accepted.
According to the DOHMH, overdose deaths declined significantly in 2024, and is the first drop in number for Black and Latino New Yorkers, who make up 84% of Wyckoff Heights’ patients, since 2018. Vali joined the DOHMH in 2021, the year OnPoint opened the first publicly recognized overdose prevention center, which marked the beginning of a 28% decline in overdose deaths over the next five years.
“We are extremely grateful to partner with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to implement the ED Relay program and support our patients and our communities that are greatly affected by the opioid overdoses,” said Wyckoff Heights President and CEO Vali Gache. “The Relay program allows us to improve health equity in this community by creating access to these services in real time and at the patient’s bedside.”
Now implemented for just six months, Gache says data specific to Wyckoff Heights will not be available until this October. Relay is funded by the Opioid Settlement Fund, with the DOHMH allocating $41 million to it and other harm reduction-related services, such as OnPoint’s overdose prevention centers.
These advocates live all over the city and can be at any hospital in less than an hour. Their job is to be a neutral third-party, separate from the hospital, to provide emotional support through lived experiences and educate patients on the different resources that can help them in their recovery. According to Dr. Lynn Manganiello, ED champion for Relay at Wyckoff Heights, the advocates provide the personal care patients need, allowing doctors to treat others when the emergency room becomes crowded.
“When it’s a very busy emergency department, I don’t have a ton of time to spend with the patient myself, so it’s amazing to have them be able to come and connect with the patient and offer them a lot more resources, support and assistance,” Manganiello said.
Alan D., a Relay peer wellness advocate, spoke on his own experience with drug addiction and his personal path to wellness. Dorville expressed that a “cookie-cutter approach” to recovery does not work for patients, and the advocates work with each individual to best determine what could help them.
“Each individual and their circumstances are unique. I speak to people authentically and without any judgment and listen very carefully right to what they need in that vulnerable moment. Often, what they need is reassurance that they are not alone,” Alan D. said. “As a peer, I’m not there to diagnose them or treat them; I’m there to help them keep them alive. This is not just a job, it’s a mission to save lives and it’s working.”
