Chapter of the Week: NYC

End Overdose's chapter program is vital to our success in equipping young people with lifesaving education and resources. In cities and on college campuses, we trust them to spread the word through a true peer-to-peer model. Our members and volunteers are committing endless hours to End Overdose's cause, so we want to highlight a chapter every week.

Today, we're proud to highlight our NYC chapter! We spoke with founder and president Jess Heller about what inspired her to start the citywide chapter after originally founding our NYU chapter, highlights from her team's efforts like tabling at two Levity shows in 2025, and much more.

What sparked your interest in overdose prevention/response and End Overdose in particular?

When I was in college, I became engulfed in EDM and its community. I came across End Overdose through social media, and loved the tie between the music industry and overdose prevention. As part of the EDM community, keeping each other safe has always been a top priority, and overdose prevention and response plays a big part of that. I believe that End Overdose's mission of spreading life-saving awareness, education, and resources is crucial not only for the EDM community, but for any community. Providing the community with the opportunity to learn and gather resources to be able to keep each other safe has been such a meaningful experience, and I am so happy to be involved with such a great organization.

Can you describe your experience as the chapter president?

I started the New York City chapter after I graduated from my masters program in 2025 and passed along the New York University chapter. After founding and leading the NYU chapter, I could not imagine leaving behind the work I love doing so much, and recognized New York City's greater need for End Overdose's education and resources. Starting a city chapter has had its difficulties, especially in such a large city like NYC, however it has been such a pleasure to be able to build a chapter that can serve the broader NYC population outside of universities. This chapter could not exist without the help of my executive board, who has helped me build this chapter into what it has become, and I can't wait to continue to expand as a team and a chapter.

What are the major highlights from your chapter’s work to date?

In November 2025, End Overdose NYC got the opportunity to work two back-to-back Levity shows at the Brooklyn Paramount. At these events, we trained close to 200 people on how to save a life in the event of an opioid overdose, handed out almost 300 doses of naloxone, and over 200 fentanyl test strips. Being able to work the Levity shows, which also happens to be one of my favorite EDM groups, was such a great experience. Also this year, we connected with Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction Stigma, which took place in October. Here, we were able to train almost 100 people and formed incredible connections with the other vendors and attendees. We are so grateful for all of the connections, collaborations, and partnerships we have had thus far, and hope to continue to expand further into the NYC community!

What do you envision for the future of your chapter?

End Overdose NYC is just getting started. As a chapter founded in August 2025, we had an incredible first 6 months. We were present at 12 events, and handed out over 800 doses of naloxone. Our goal as a new chapter is to continue to expand our reach, both by recruiting more volunteers and obtaining partnerships and collaborations with New York City establishments and organizations. If you live in the NYC area and want to get involved, whether through volunteering or collaboration, follow us on Instagram @endoverdose.nyc to learn more, or email us at nyc@endoverdose.net!