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GHC Petitioned Successfully Against a New Drug Treatment Center in East Harlem and presented data to CB11

May, 2020 CB11 meeting notes and full minutes here

The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association (10 minutes)
i. Concentration/ Saturation of treatment facilities in East Harlem. The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association gave a presentation on the medical redlining occurring within northern Manhattan
and in East Harlem. Please see attached report. Their data driven report left many committee members with outstanding policy questions for OASAS. Several members were left perplexed as to why so many methadone and “counseling” centers are concentrated in East Harlem when many centers service people from outside the community. The committee discussed how landlords often will take a guaranteed rent over community concerns. Further questions were raised with the ratios of those receiving services in a community they work in versus a community they live in.

Committee members were dismayed to see the disparity of distribution. A significant area of interest was the 125th Street corridor and the overall impact to businesses and surrounding streets and their residents.


c. Lee Weiss – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elev8 Wellness Center of New York
i. New outpatient counseling center in the Lee Building on 125th Street
Mr. Weiss gave a presentation for a new center to be located in East Harlem.
With services provided in central Harlem and other areas of northern
Manhattan, the Bronx and elsewhere, they desired to expand this counseling
center believing it would be of service to East Harlem. Several committee
members expressed their concerns over yet another center coming to our
community. Many of the questions revolved around saturation and “the need”
for expansion. Mr. Weiss finally expressed that if the community does not desire
Elev8 to expand in this district, he would respect that request and withdraw
pursuing a letter.
UPDATE: Subsequent to our meeting, Mr. Weiss has withdrawn his request.

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