NYC public hospital system adopts revolutionary ‘hotspotting’ addiction treatment program for the South Bronx
New York City’s public hospital system is adopting a revolutionary addiction treatment program at its medical facility serving the South Bronx after the same initiative helped dramatically curb overdose deaths on Staten Island, The Post has learned.
Health + Hospitals will launch the specialized “Hotspotting” treatment program at Lincoln Hospital, thanks to a $660,000 grant from the Robin Hood Foundation.
Under the Hotspotting model, patients being treated for opioid use in the Lincoln Hospital emergency department will be connected to a dedicated care team, including community health workers and peer counselors.
For up to a year following discharge from the hospital, the team will reach out to patients biweekly to offer support and connection to addiction services, medical care, community-based resources, welfare benefits, and housing as needed.
The program will offer patients a cell phone and a service contact to help them stay connected to care.
The program at Lincoln Hospital expects to serve approximately 150 substance abusers at the highest risk of relapse.
A study of the Hotspotting program run by Northwell Health’s Staten Island Performing Provider System, developed with MIT, found there were only two fatal overdoses among 612 participants, compared to 14 deaths for 1,089 addicts not engaged.
The analysis also showed a 36% reduction in non-fatal overdoses and a 63% reduction in substance use disorder-related emergency room visits compared to opioid users not in the program.
“The increasing potency of opioids in New York City requires new and innovative support for
our care for patients with opioid use disorder,” Health + Hospitals president and
CEO Mitchell Katz said.
“The Hotspotting program will give our patients at Lincoln Hospital up to a year of follow-up care after they leave the hospital for opioid treatment. We are deeply grateful to Robin Hood and the Staten Island Performing Provider System for their support in launching this new model at NYC Health + Hospitals.”
Fatal overdoses in New York City have more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic — jumping from 1,452 deaths in 2018 to 3,046 deaths in 2023, according to city data.
The Bronx has the highest rate of opioid overdose death in the city, and patients who experience a nonfatal overdose are at increased risk of dying from an overdose in the future, officials said.
“The Staten Island PPS is proud to partner with the outstanding and committed professionals at
NYC Health + Hospitals to implement the Hotspotting Program,” said Staten Island
Performing Provider System (SIPPS) executive director Joseph Conte.
He noted that the opioid crisis is a serious problem in black and Latino communities, such as the South Bronx.
“There remains a critical need for more innovation and proactive approaches to save lives, that is the essence of the Hotspotting approach,” Conte said.
Lincoln Hospital is eager to launch the new addiction treatment program.
“Our Hotspotting program will provide continuity of care as patients transition from the hospital into the community setting and will help them stay connected to healthcare and addiction services,” said Dr. Daniel Schatz, Health + Hospital’s medical director of substance use disorder services in the office of behavioral health.
