Int. No. 1284-A
By Council Members Gutiérrez, Hanks, Schulman, Louis, Lee, Restler, Banks, Hanif, Ayala, Narcisse and Zhuang
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to an education campaign for healthcare providers on opioid use disorder and the use of opioid agonist therapies during and after pregnancy, and the distribution of opioid antagonists at neighborhood health action centers
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-199.30 to read as follows:
§ 17-199.30 Education campaign on opioid use disorder and opioid agonist therapies during and after pregnancy. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Doula. The term “doula” has the same meaning as set forth in section 17-199.10.
Healthcare provider. The term “healthcare provider” means an individual duly licensed or otherwise authorized to practice a health profession pursuant to applicable law, such as a physician, registered professional nurse, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant.
Midwife. The term “midwife” has the same meaning as set forth in section 17-199.17.
Opioid. The term “opioid” means an opiate as defined in section 3302 of the public health law.
Opioid use disorder. The term “opioid use disorder” means a chronic substance use disorder, opioid abuse or dependence, or opioid addiction characterized by a pattern of opioid use that causes significant impairment or distress within a 12-month period.
Opioid agonist therapy. The term “opioid agonist therapy” means treatment overseen by a licensed healthcare provider to address opioid use disorder through the use of medications such as methadone or buprenorphine.
Opioid antagonist. The term “opioid antagonist” has the same meaning as set forth in subdivision a of section 17-180.1.
Neighborhood health action center. The term “neighborhood health action center” means the department’s neighborhood-specific service centers, or any similar or successor programs, that aim to reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes in the city through partnerships with community-based organizations.
Professional organizations. The term “professional organization” means a professional organization for healthcare providers, including, but not limited to, the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists and the American board of obstetrics and gynecology.
b. Education campaign. The department shall develop and implement a campaign to educate health professionals providing prenatal and post-partum care and supports, such as healthcare providers, doulas, and midwives, about the use and benefits of opioid agonist therapy in pregnancy, including the risks of withdrawal for birthing people, fetuses, and newborns. Such campaign shall include, but not be limited to, recommendations provided by professional organizations and the New York state department of health, guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate communication regarding such therapy, and guidance on how to access opioid antagonists at no cost.
c. Distribution of opioid antagonists. The department shall make opioid antagonists available to the public at no cost and upon request, following completion of a department training course, at each neighborhood health action center. Such training shall include information on the proper use of opioid antagonists, as well as information on the risks associated with opioid use, including opioid use during and after pregnancy. Such distribution shall be operated in compliance with existing federal, state, and local laws relating to the distribution of opioid antagonists. The department, in coordination with the New York city department of information technology and telecommunications, shall publish information on how to obtain such opioid antagonists, and any other information the department deems necessary, on the 311 citizen center website as well as the online database as provided in section 3-191.
d. Report. No later than 12 months after the effective date of this local law, and every 3 years thereafter, the department shall submit to the mayor and speaker of the council, and post on the department’s website, a report describing the methods of targeted outreach used to comply with subdivision b of this section. Such report shall also include the total number of opioid antagonists provided to neighborhood health action centers as required by subdivision c of this section, the location of such neighborhood health action centers, as well as the total number of opioid antagonists distributed to the public from such centers within the last reporting period.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 180 days after it becomes law.
SOS
LS #18426, 18395, 14931, 19253
10/21/25 9:52pm