Bórquez I, Allen B, Basaraba C, Renson A, Moore B, Marshall BDL, Cerdá M. Changes in community-level pedestrian stops following overdose prevention center implementation in New York City: An augmented synthetic control approach. Epidemiology. Publish Ahead of Print. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000002000
This study examined the impact of overdose prevention centers in East Harlem and Washington Heights on pedestrian stops in surrounding areas. It found limited evidence that OPC opening affected pedestrian stops, with a possible decrease concentrated in the first two years around the East Harlem site.
Context: Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) are interventions intended to reduce overdose risk and other substance use-related harms. OPCs may reduce public drug use and, therefore, reduce police encounters with people who use drugs. Critics argue that OPCs may create a honey-pot effect by attracting drug use-related disorders and crime. This study examined the impact of overdose prevention centers in East Harlem and Washington Heights on community-level pedestrian stops in surrounding areas.
Methods: They used New York Police Department Stop, Question, and Frisk data from January 2017 through December 2024 to examine bimonthly average pedestrian stops around the East Harlem and Washington Heights OPCs in New York City. Spatial areas of interest were defined using five-minute and ten-minute walking buffers around each OPC. Donor comparison sites included 57 syringe service programs and opioid treatment programs that did not implement OPCs. Covariates were derived from the American Community Survey, NYPD calls for service, and SafeGraph pedestrian mobility estimates. The authors used an augmented synthetic control approach.
Results: This study found limited evidence that OPC opening affected community-level pedestrian stops, with a possible decrease concentrated in the first two years around the East Harlem site.