Pictured: (L-R) Bronxville Chief of Police Christopher Satriale, Lillian Neuman and Tuckahoe Chief of Police John Costanzo

By Lorraine Horgan of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center

June 9, 2021: The Maxwell Institute of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center, a leading provider of outpatient addiction treatment and prevention education services, has announced an important new initiative to combat opioid overdose-related deaths through the free distribution Naloxone kits to local police departments for the purpose of distribution to persons-at-risk of an opioid overdose and those in a position to assist the person-at-risk.

Called the "Leave Behind Naloxone" initiative, it will equip police officers with naloxone kits for distribution when responding to an overdose, to individuals who are at risk for opioid overdose, or to persons in a position to assist the individual at risk. Naloxone is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdoes by blocking heroin or other opioids in the nervous system for 30-90 minutes. It is administered by injection or intranasal.  So far, police departments in the following communities have committed to the program – Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Mount Vernon and  Scarsdale.

The new initiative was announced recently by Lillian Neuman, CASAC, Director of Community Outreach/Prevention Education St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester A Division of Saint Joseph's Medical Center, at a luncheon of the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association in Tarrytown. The luncheon was attended by chiefs of police as well as police commissioners representing 45 different police departments.

“We are very pleased to be able to work with police departments in launching this much-needed program. We will be working with police officers so they will be able to do a five-minute just-in-time training on how to administer the Naloxone,” said Neuman. “This is a way to get Naloxone in the hands of more people that need it and decrease the deaths associated with opiate overdoses,” she added.

The Maxwell Institute, which is based in Tuckahoe, is a Community Fund supported program. It recently announced a virtual overdose prevention training program. The free program, co-sponsored by Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, is presented via Zoom and open to the general public. The program, which officially began April 15, is being offered on the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm. Participation is limited to 25 people. Participants who complete the training will receive free of charge in the mail a Naloxone kit. Register for Zoom ID invitation by emailing to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nation “is in the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic.” More than 500,000 people have died from drug overdoses since 2000 — nearly ninety-one people a day in the United States.

The Maxwell Institute in Tuckahoe offers intensive and clinic-level outpatient chemical dependency treatment and education services for adults, adolescents, and their families. All services are provided by LCSW/LMSW social workers and Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASACs). 

Since 1888, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center has served Yonkers and the surrounding communities of Westchester and New York City with patient-centered, quality-focused inpatient and outpatient care, including specialized programs such  as orthopedics, cardiology, family medicine and geriatrics; advanced emergency treatment; state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and ambulatory surgery; inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services; and a network of primary care services serving Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan. Its Saint Vincent’s Hospital Westchester division in Harrison offers a comprehensive range of mental health, addiction and residential programs serving Westchester and New York City.  Please visit us on the web at saintjosephs.org and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Photo courtesy Thompson & Bender

Editor's note: As a public service, MyhometownBronxville publishes articles from local institutions, officeholders, and individuals. MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements therein, and any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff.