The Sunset Park Health Council, which includes the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, was awarded a grant of $600,000 by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. The funds will be used to increase support for the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine’s Prevention Education Partnership (PEP) program over the next three years, ensuring that high schools are informed and equipped to address the ongoing fentanyl epidemic among teens in the local community.

“All of us at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone are thrilled to receive this grant and expand the overdose prevention efforts to make a greater impact for the youth in the Sunset Park community,” said Diana S. Lee, MD, assistant medical director of the Addiction Medicine Program at Family Health Centers at NYU Langone. “This funding allows us to address the critical need for opioid education and overdose preparedness in schools and prioritize the safety of our nation’s youth in moments of crisis.”

In response to the surge in teen opioid overdose deaths fueled by illicitly manufactured fentanyl, the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone and Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine’s PEP program seek to implement a comprehensive school-based opioid overdose prevention program. The program would include a thorough needs assessment, revision of emergency response plans, school staff training in opioid overdose response, delivery of an educational curriculum to students and parents, strategic naloxone distribution, and training for health clinic staff in screening, brief intervention, and student referral for treatment. By preparing schools for overdose, dispensing naloxone, and using a train-the-trainer model, the goal is to create a sustainable, replicable framework for schools to protect students and families from the devastating impact of the evolving opioid crisis.

“At Anthem, we take great pride in developing partnerships that focus on improving lives and communities, particularly those that address substance use disorders and the ongoing fentanyl crisis,” said Victor DeStafano, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New York. “Working with Family Health Centers at NYU Langone furthers our common goal of preventing the preventable and equipping young people with the knowledge to establish healthy habits, leading to safer, more productive schools and households.”

With a mission to keep youth safe, healthy, and out of the emergency department, the PEP program in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone deploys healthcare providers to schools to educate young people about emerging health threats, focusing on the misuse of novel substances. Since its inception, PEP has reached over 400 public schools throughout New York City and has educated more than 17,000 learners. Since 2022, it has trained over 1,200 school-based learners in opioid overdose response, significantly improving school teachers’ self-reported confidence in administering naloxone. In 2024, PEP partnered with NYC Public Schools to provide overdose recognition and response training to school staff system-wide.

About Family Health Centers at NYU Langone

The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone is a community-based program that delivers primary and prevention outpatient healthcare to adults and children, regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance status. This program was founded in 1967 and is now one of the country’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks. The program’s school-based health centers (SBHCs) deliver medical, dental, and vision care and behavioral health services to children during the school day. Its network of 20 SBHCs provides services to 21,640 students enrolled in 42 schools, including 13,367 students in 25 high schools across nine zip codes.

Media Inquiries

James Iorio
Phone: 646-530-2710
James.Iorio@NYULangone.org