5 Million Test Strips Distributed

Written by: Lucy Connery MPH

As of October 31, 2023, MATTERS has distributed 5 MILLION fentanyl and xylazine test strips to individuals and organizations across New York State!

This test strip distribution program would not be possible without the support of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). We would also like to thank 3G Signs, a Buffalo-based organization that has printed millions of QR code stickers. These stickers are placed on the test strips for individuals to scan, linking to the MATTERS website to access instructions and resources for treatment.

The MATTERS staff is a small but mighty team. This group of individuals has been working to fulfill thousands of orders every day. Without their work, this program would not be successful.

THANK YOU, MATTERS team!

MATTERS’ fentanyl test strip distribution program began as a pilot in August 2022 with 1,000 test strips being sent to organizations in New York. After seeing success, the program grew and eventually expanded to distribute to individuals as well as organizations in the spring of 2023.

In April 2023, the White House designated (fentanyl-combined) xylazine as an emerging public health threat due to the rise in opioid and xylazine-related overdoses. In response, MATTERS began distributing xylazine test strips in May of 2023. As the fentanyl and xylazine test strip distribution program expanded, MATTERS onboarded several new staff members to make this harm reduction service a success. Today, MATTERS is a statewide leader in harm reduction supply distribution.

In October 2023 alone, MATTERS shipped over 2.4 million fentanyl and xylazine test strips to individuals and organizations across New York State. Scroll through our updated charts below to see the rapid growth of this distribution program: