Needle Exchange Programs in NYC

Here's a current list of needle exchange hours and locations in New York City.  We'll do our best to keep this updated, but schedules can change, so it's a good idea to call first.

Many pharmacies also sell syringes over the counter to drug injectors, through New York state's Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP) -- information about ESAP here, participating pharmacies here.

Follow the link below for needle exchange schedules, organized by borough.

Needle Exchange Contact Information (updated August 2005)

BROOKLYN

Family Services Network of NY/Bushwick

1636 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11207
Phone: (718) 573-3358
Contact: Leslie Bobbe

Needle Exchange:

Monday/Tuesday/Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

East New York – Agency Drop-In Site
406 Mother Gaston Blvd
Contact: Thomas Gustave
Phone: (718) 495-9747

AfterHours

1232 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
Van based ESAP: Thursday night
Contact: Fernando Soto
Phone: (347) 242-7876 or (718) 249-0755

Needle Exchange (on site):

Monday-Thursday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

FROST’D

224 W. 30th Street
Suite 901
NY, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 924-3733
Contact: Mike Cintron or Angel Thompkins

Needle Exchange - out of a van that parks on the following Brooklyn corners:

Monday       10:00 am – 3:00 pm: Coney Island Avenue (W. 22nd & Surf Ave)
Tuesday      9:30 am – 11:30 am: Putnam and Knickerbocker Ave
                  1:00 pm – 3:00 pm:  Classon Ave (Fulton/Putnam)
Wednesday  1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: South 5th and Marcy Ave
Thursday     10:00 am – 3:30 pm: Coney Island Avenue (W. 22nd & Surf Ave)
Thursday     1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: South 5th and Marcy Ave
Saturday     12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: South 5th and Marcy Avenue
                  2:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Putnam and Knickerbocker

BRONX

Citiwide Harm Reduction

Phone: (718) 292-7718
226 E. 144th street
Bronx, NY 10451

Needle Exchange: (call for specific locations)
         
Monday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Thursday/Friday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction

310 Walton Avenue
Suite 201
Bronx, NY 10451
(718) 585-5544

Needle Exchange:

On site:
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

148th St/Bergen:
Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Wednesday/Friday 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

139th/St. Ann's:
Tuesday 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE)

Hunts Point Office:                                       
901 Garrison Avenue    
Bronx NY      
Phone: 718 842-8730   

NYHRE Administrative Offices
903 Dawson Street
Bronx, NY 10549
Phone: 718 842-7001

Needle Exchange:

Wednesday 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Watson and Ward (#6 to Elder Avenue)
Thursday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: 148th St, Bergen & Brook (#2, #5 to 149/3rd)
Thursday 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Garrison Ave & Irvine Street (#6 to Hunts Pt.)
Friday 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Clinton Pl. & Jerome Avenue (#4 to Burnside)          
 

QUEENS

AIDS Center Queens County (ACQC)

Contact: Sarah Lippek (347) 723-7222

Needle Exchange Hours:

Monday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm: Bethesda Baptist Church (17909 Jamaica Avenue @ 139th)
Tues/Friday 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm: 4257 Hunter Street, 3rd floor (N/R/W/E/Z to Queens Plaza/Queensboro Plaza)
Wednesday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm: Far Rockaway (Van on the corner of Mott Avenue/Beach 21st)
Thursday 11-3pm: Worldwide Church (Jamaica 113 02 Guy Brewer Blvd @ Linden)

MANHATTAN

Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center

25 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002
Phone: 212 226-6333
Contact: Calvin Clevland

Needle Exchange (on site): 

Monday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Tuesday 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Thursday 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Friday 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Housing Works

130 Crosby Street
NY, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 966-0466, x. 1210
Contact Name: Deleon Carter

Needle Exchange (on site, only for clients -- call first):

Monday – Saturday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Streetwork Project

33 Essex Street (between Grand and Hester)
Phone: (646) 602-6404

Needle Exchange (on site):

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Friday 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Positive Health Project

301 W. 37th Street
2nd Floor
NY, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 465-8304

Needle Exchange (on site):

Monday: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Friday 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Saturday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE)

1991-A Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10035
Phone: (212) 828-8464

Needle Exchange Hours in East Harlem:

Monday (9:30 am - 11:30 am): 109th St and Lexington
Tuesday (10:00 am - 2:00 pm): 110th St and Park
Wednesday (9:30 am - 11:30 am): 109th St/Lexington
Friday (5:00 pm - 7:00 pm): 109th St/Lexington
Saturday (9:00 am - 1:00 pm): 126th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Ave.

FROST’D

369 8th Avenue
NY, NY 10001
Phone: (212) 924-3036
Contact: Angel Thompkins

Needle Exchange:

Tuesday/Fridays (10:00 am – 3:30 pm): 123rd and Park Avenue
                     

STATEN ISLAND

Community Health Action Staten Island
Contact: Bonnie Susman
Phone: 718 442 6564
No needle exchange; call for information about pharmacies that sell syringes

Comments

[Tom]

Why are hours so limited??

[Daniel Raymond]

Tom wrote:

Why are hours so limited??

Hours are limited primarily by resources -- all of these programs want to reach as many people as possible, but they are constrained by limited funding to pay for staff time. The situation in New York has improved over the last few years, with new programs in new areas and increased funding from both the city and state government for syringe exchange.

However, Congress prohibits the use of federal money for syringe exchange. Since federal dollars are the single largest source of HIV prevention funding, needle exchange programs are shut out of the major funding stream that supports HIV prevention (there is virtually no federal money available for hepatitis C prevention). The ban on federal funding of syringe exchange also extends to substance abuse prevention and treatment (including outreach programs), community health centers, and other important areas of health and social services that reach people who inject drugs. Advocacy efforts are under way to convince Congress to lift the funding ban.

In New York, people can now purchase syringes at pharmacies without a prescription, supplementing the role of needle exchange programs (though without the education, counseling, and other services offered by needle exchange). This means that for those who can afford it (a package of ten syringes typically costs around $3.00 at a pharmacy), people who inject drugs can buy new syringes in virtually all neighborhoods of New York City during pharmacy hours, which typically run into the evening at larger drug stores (such as big chains like Rite Aid and CVS).

A new initiative in New York, called Peer Delivered Syringe Exchange, allows needle exchange programs to train their participants as volunteers. These volunteers can then bring new syringes to other drug users who don't go to needle exchange programs (due to limited hours, location, etc.) and collect & dispose of their used syringes. In effect, these volunteers become one-man (or one-woman) needle exchange programs for their peer groups, extending the reach of needle exchange even further.

So things aren't perfect -- and we need to remove the federal funding ban -- but syringe access has improved dramatically in New York City during this decade.