An Implementation Evaluation of the Staten Island HOPE Program

In 2016, Staten Island had the highest overdose rate in New York City, having increased 66 percent from 2015.1 In response, the Richmond County District Attorney, Michael E. McMahon, in partnership with the New York City Police Department, other city agencies, and community organizations on Staten Island, developed the Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education (HOPE) program. The program, launched in January 2017 after a 9-month collaborative planning process, was designed to address the growing opioid epidemic on Staten Island, as well as increases in other substance use, through pre-arraignment diversion to community-based harm reduction services of individuals arrested for a low-level substance-related crime.