Opioid Research Center for Central New York (ORCC-NY)


The Opioid Research Center for Central New York is a multidisciplinary, collaborative research initiative working to develop innovative ideas and strategies for treating and preventing the harms of opioid use disorder.


41,914 opioid overdose deaths in 2016

41,914

opioid overdose deaths in 2016

An estimated 41,914 opioid overdose deaths were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016, up over 100 percent since 2010.

opioid overdose

552

emergency department visits in Broome and Onondaga counties in 2016

In 2016, Broome and Onondaga counties had the highest rates of emergency department visits related to heroin overdose in New York state.


Opioid Use Disorder is a mental disorder/disease that covers a wide range of drugs accessed through many different sources and by people from all walks of life. It is characterized by a pattern of opioid use that can interfere with normal activities. Those who are diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder are users of opioid drugs with at least two of the following symptoms:

  • taking more opioid drugs than intended
  • making unsuccessful attempts to control opioid use
  • spending inordinate amounts of time obtaining, taking or recovering from the effects of opioid drugs
  • craving opioids
  • failing at home, work or school due to opioid use
  • continuing to use opioids despite them causing relationship/social problems
  • foregoing/reducing other activities due to opioid use
  • using opioids when it is physically unsafe
  • continuing to take opioids even when they are causing physical or psychological harm
  • tolerating opioids
  • suffering withdrawal symptoms when opioids are not taken

"Our infrastructure is broken. We are taking our fragmented care system and defragmenting it by bringing a comprehensive approach to how we deal with Opioid Use Disorder. We'll expand access to support, for hard-hit rural areas in particular, through a web-based platform for harm reduction and we'll create scalable models for state and national levels to establish best practices for harm reduction"

William Eggleston


Center Director

William Eggleston, PharmD, DABAT is a clinical assistant professor at the Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and a clinical toxicologist at SUNY Upstate Medical University. His research focuses on expanded access to naloxone through innovative community programs and reducing opioid-related harms.