Inspired by his upbringing on the Lower East Side during the height of the crack epidemic and his mom’s work as a nurse, Sam has dedicated his life to helping people reduce self-harm. He learned early on what it meant to care for others: relentlessly and radically loving on them until they were ready to love on themselves. After leading HIV/AIDS programming at the Fortune Society, in 2020 Sam joined OnPoint NYC, a small Harlem-based non-profit focused on harm reduction, as their Executive Director.

Sam led the launch of the first publicly recognized overdose prevention center (OPC) in the United States. OPCs, also known as safe consumption sites, are spaces where individuals can use previously obtained drugs under the supervision of trained personnel while also accessing harm reduction services and connections to other stabilizing resources. While OnPoint NYC has been providing harm reduction since 1992, its OPC opening in 2021 was a groundbreaking and critical addition to the organization, city, and country.

With the worsening overdose crisis in New York City and beyond, Sam’s vision to expand safe and loving spaces for people who use drugs has never been more important. Sam and his team developed a model of care that integrates the OPC with holistic harm reduction services, ensuring that people stay alive as they pursue wellness on their terms.

The OPC offers a welcoming space free of barriers or judgment. It provides hot meals, showers, bathrooms, and laundry service, as well as holistic offerings like acupuncture, acupressure, and sound therapy. It also connects people to social services and housing, supports individuals in their recovery, and collects and analyzes data to inform public health approaches. His vision for NYC is to expand this model and support its growth through other nonprofits, research, and policy sectors.