Recognizing that the risk of an overdose is much higher in an individual who has already experienced an overdose, Relay was launched by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in 2017 and is currently active in seven emergency departments (ED) across New York City, with plans to expand to a total of 15 hospital EDs. The program uses "wellness advocates", which are peers with lived experience, to capitalize on a vital setting (the ED) and time (after a nonfatal overdose) to connect a person to harm reduction and other services. 

The approach used by the wellness advocates is grounded in harm reduction. The program works by the ED notifying Relay (available 24 hours per day, seven days per week) of a nonfatal overdose and a wellness advocate arrives within the hour. The wellness advocate begins to build a rapport with the patient, offering naloxone kits to both the person and social networks present in the ED as well as a bag full of essential items (e.g. food, socks, water). If a patient consents to participate in Relay, the wellness advocate will provide a brief intervention on overdose risk reduction education, connection to social services such as housing, food assistance, or health insurance, or referrals to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) based on the needs and desires of the patient. There is a 90-day period of continued peer navigation and support by the wellness advocate after the overdose.

Relay has three main goals:

• Prevent and reduce opioid overdose fatalities in New York City
• Distribute naloxone to individuals who are at risk for an opioid overdose including families and support networks
• Employ peer professionals with lived experience as wellness advocates to advance the peer workforce

More information on the Relay program can be found in the press release here, the presentation here, and the news article here. To see an overview of New York City's Healing NYC program, read the report here.