Harlem East Life Plan (HELP) Outpatient Methadone Clinic/KEEP

Harlem East Life Plan (HELP) is one of East Harlem's dedicated outpatient methadone clinics, offering Medication-Assisted Treatment as the clinical foundation of its substance abuse treatment program. Methadone treatment is administered within a structured outpatient program that includes group counseling and ongoing case management, giving adults with opioid use disorder both the medical support and the social scaffolding needed for sustained recovery.

Ambulatory detoxification at HELP allows clients to begin the withdrawal management process while remaining in the community — a meaningful distinction from residential or inpatient detox. This model reflects HELP's broader commitment to keeping people connected to their lives, families, and neighborhoods throughout the recovery process, rather than requiring them to step away entirely. For adults evaluating outpatient programs in New York City, HELP's combination of MAT, ambulatory detox, and co-occurring disorder treatment offers a clinically comprehensive option without an inpatient requirement.

HELP treats co-occurring mental health disorders alongside opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders, recognizing that these conditions rarely exist in isolation. With two Medical Directors on staff — including a psychiatrist — the clinical team is equipped to address the psychiatric dimensions of addiction treatment that many outpatient programs leave to outside referrals. This integration of mental health and substance abuse treatment under one license reflects HELP's status as a facility certified by both New York's Office of Mental Health and its Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

On-site primary care services and infectious disease screening and treatment extend the center's reach further, addressing health conditions that frequently accompany long-term substance use and that, left unaddressed, can undermine recovery. Trauma-informed care is woven throughout the program, shaping how clinicians engage with clients whose histories may include significant trauma alongside their substance use disorders. For adults in East Harlem seeking a recovery center that treats the whole person — not just the addiction — HELP's layered clinical infrastructure sets it apart from narrower outpatient options.

Harm reduction sits at the center of HELP's clinical philosophy, distinguishing this East Harlem outpatient program from treatment models that require full abstinence as a precondition for care. Within a harm reduction framework, the goal is to reduce the health and social consequences of substance use while building toward longer-term stability — meeting adults where they are rather than where a program assumes they should be. This approach is particularly well-suited to medication-assisted treatment, where methadone itself is a therapeutic tool rather than a stepping stone to be discarded.

Group counseling and case management complement the harm reduction model by addressing both the behavioral and practical dimensions of recovery. Case management, in particular, supports clients in navigating housing, healthcare, and social services — areas of life that can either reinforce or undermine an outpatient recovery program. Together, these services position HELP not just as an addiction treatment provider, but as a community-rooted recovery partner for adults in New York.

HELP holds CARF accreditation and carries licensure from three New York State agencies: the Department of Health, the Office of Mental Health, and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports. This breadth of oversight is uncommon among outpatient methadone clinics and signals a level of accountability and clinical rigor that matters when choosing a long-term recovery partner. CARF accreditation specifically reflects an independent review of the center's programs, services, and outcomes.

The clinical and administrative team includes Medical Director and Physician Fernando Borrego, MD; Medical Director and Psychiatrist Hamid Moussavian, MD; Clinical Directors Iyana Lomas, LMSW and Marian Shafir, Advanced CASAC, MFT; and a leadership team that includes professionals holding credentials in law, clinical science, and organizational management. This depth of credentialed leadership supports the kind of consistent, well-supervised outpatient care that adults managing opioid use disorder and co-occurring conditions require over the long term.