In an effort to reduce record high drug overdose deaths, New York City has opened the nation’s first supervised injection sites, according to NPR. Two former needle exchange centers in Washington Heights and East Harlem have been converted into overdose prevention center (OPCs), where trained staff members provide clean syringes, oversee drug use, administer naloxone to reverse overdoses, and help identify treatment programs for visitors, according to The New York Times.

“For more than 29 years, we have dedicated our lives to ending #overdose deaths and the criminalization and stigma associated with substance use,” the New York Harm Reduction Educators tweeted after the announcement. “Being the 1st OPC site in the US is an honor and incredible step forward in ending the overdose crisis.”

The New York Harm Reduction Educators and the Washington Heights Corner Project have merged to form OnPoint NYC, which will run both facilities.

Overdose fatalities have skyrocketed in New York City, with more than 2,000 drug-related deaths last year – the highest number in over two decades. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, was present in 77 percent of those cases, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.

City officials say that this year nearly 600 overdose deaths occurred between January and March alone, and insist that the new OPCs are necessary to address what has now become a public health crisis.

Supervised injection sites have existed in Europe for decades. They are shown to have “an overall positive impact” in surrounding neighborhoods, and “may contribute to reducing drug-related deaths at city level,” according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

Researchers also found that those who frequent OPCs are less prone to engage in risky practices like syringe sharing and more likely to engage in detox treatments.