Safer Use Supplies
The CCAP clinic distributes free safer use supplies and teaches patients how to use them. We offer several supplies, including the following:
Naloxone (Narcan)
Naloxone is a medication that can reduce an overdose with heroin, fentanyl, and other opioid drugs. It comes in the form of a nasal spray you can give to someone who is overdosing.
Naloxone is available to anyone for free, and you do not need a prescription. You can get Naloxone in the following ways:
- Look for our CCAP street outreach team in Washington Heights. We can give it to you for free and teach you how to use it.
- Visit one of these NYC opioid overdose prevention programs.
Fentanyl Test Strips
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. It’s about 50 times stronger than heroin and is responsible for a huge increase in overdose deaths since it became common. In NYC, many drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and pills, are sold with fentanyl mixed in. However, it is colorless and odorless, and there is no way to tell if your supply contains fentanyl unless you test for it using strips you can get for free.
You can get fentanyl test strips from our outreach team.
How Do I Prevent a Fentanyl Overdose?
The NYC Department of Health gives these safety tips for preventing a fentanyl overdose:
- Never use alone. Take turns using with other people, so if someone overdoses, someone else can help.
- Be prepared with Narcan (see above) to reverse an overdose.
- Test your drugs. Use a test strip or try a very small amount first to see how strong it is.
- Do not mix drugs or drink alcohol when using drugs. This increases the chance you will overdose.
- If someone is overdosing, call 911.
