Ground Zero: Health care professionals scramble to keep up with drug epidemic
As the eyes of the nation turn to a troubling wave of opioid addiction in rural and suburban communities, residents of the South Bronx are asking what took them so…
Counselors battle social misconceptions in treating drug abusers
Watch a video of counselors and a recovering drug user documenting the challenges they face battling stereotypes surrounding addiction.
Genesis of Bronx harm reduction: the church
Needle exchange programs were illegal in the United States at the time, despite their documented success by both the Government Accountability Office and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
An antidote in heavy demand
I was assigned to cover heroin use in Mott Haven. As a reporter I’m responsible for learning the ins and outs of the “beat,” the neighborhood and the people that…
Heroin takes a heavy toll locally
According to one officer, hand-to-hand business is vintage, and the “dead drop”—leaving money in one place and drugs in another separately, is the present—and the future.
The Lady of St. Mary’s
Rivera says that soon after The Hole was closed, drug dealers sold her heroin that she tested and found positive for fentanyl, a cheap, potent opioid that dealers often use…
Clinic prepares public for fight against overdoses
Last year, more people died from drug overdoses in the Bronx, the fourth most populous of New York’s five boroughs, than in any other.
Uninsured drug users face uphill battle
Juan sleeps on the streets and keeps his possessions in a shopping cart with an ominous mask tied to the front. He stands gaunt and his hands are ashen, thick…