Increased Harm Reduction Efforts at Forbell Saves Lives
Every day at Forbell Men’s Shelter, a staff member uses Narcan to save a life from an accidental opioid overdose.
“I am very thankful for Narcan,” said Yvelyse Marrero, Program Director of the Forbell Men’s Shelter in Brooklyn, which has nearly 200 beds. “We use it every day. Our motto is 'Unresponsive equals Narcan.'”
In 2012, through a partnership with the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH), Samaritan Daytop Village offered Narcan training to its residential staff. NYS DOH sought to reduce the skyrocketing rise of opioid overdose deaths across the state.
Soon after the program was implemented, a need was identified to offer the same training to staff at the Shelter and Outpatient programs. Later, all employees at all levels of the nonprofit began learning how to administer the nasal spray.
Narcan, a life-saving medication, can prevent an opioid overdose from becoming fatal within 3-7 minutes of administration. Narcan wears off within 30-90 minutes—the critical time needed to contact 911 and transport the affected person to the ER. Yet, if the overdose is not caused by an opioid, or if the drug is toxic to the system, no amount of Narcan can save a person’s life.
Yvelyse acknowledges that staff might use Narcan as a first plan of action every time – even if opioids are not involved. But in those first critical minutes, it can be hard to judge the cause of an unconscious adult male. Yet, Narcan continues to prove itself a powerful ally.
In the past year, there have been 45 overdoses at the shelter, with 44 saves through Narcan and one death despite staff’s best efforts to save lives. Trends have shown a 56% decrease in overdoses since 2023, thanks to the harm reduction initiatives.
“We recognize that no matter what we say, there are individuals who will continue to use drugs,” said Marrero. “Our goal is to help them stay safe and free from infection. For that reason, we wanted to build this dynamic partnership that would bring the harm reduction message to the clients.”
Harm reduction helps individuals improve their health and wellness with the information they need to make healthy choices about their substance use habits. Strategies help reduce the harms associated with substance use, including infection, and save lives. Samaritan Daytop Village integrates harm reduction education into all its programs.
Marrero began developing partnerships with Exponents and HousingWorks, two local nonprofits with expertise in harm reduction, health education, and HIV/AIDS prevention, among other objectives.
The partnership began with a mobile van in the parking lot where the clients could receive clean syringes from HousingWorks and RAPID HIV and Hepatitis C testing from Exponents. The combo proved to be a huge draw. Because of the program’s popularity, Forbell moved the needle exchange and RAPID testing indoors during the cold Winter months.
As the harm reduction efforts began to intensify, so did the need for peer recovery services. Peer Recovery Professionals are individuals who have shared “lived experience” and support individuals in recovery from addiction in both the treatment and community settings.
Through a five-year NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) grant, the Forbell Men’s Shelter added two Peer Recovery professionals to the full-time employee that Samaritan previously hired, for a total of three Peer Recovery Professionals on site.
The Peer Recovery team provides peer support, harm reduction assistance, and education. The team also teaches clients how to administer Narcan and use fentanyl and xylazine test strips.
With the success of Forbell’s harm reduction efforts, VP of Transitional Housing Jerry Heaney says that most of Samaritan Daytop Village’s shelters are following suit. “Forbell’s intensive harm reduction strategies have been saving lives,” he said. “It should be a model for all shelters to follow.”
Further supporting their goal, the agency has received a $625K, 5-year grant from the NYC Department of Homeless Services and NYS OASAS to increase services and referrals at Forbell and three other shelter sites to reduce the rates of overdose and substance use incidents.
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If you would like to partner with us to provide free Narcan trainings, hear personal testimonials of recovery, or receive harm reduction educational materials, contact our Recovery Services team.