START Treatment & Recovery Centers, Inc. (START NY) celebrated the unveiling of Dr. Beny J. Primm Way, on the corner of Waverly Avenue and Fulton Street, in honor of the life and work of the organization’s founder.
First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Councilmember Crystal Hudson, advocates and community leaders joined START NY at a street naming ceremony on Wednesday, according to a news release.
"Dr. Beny J. Primm dedicated his life to combating the devastation caused by addiction and HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Annelle Primm, Martine Primm, Jeanine Primm Jones and Dr. Eraka Bath, the daughters of Dr. Beny Primm, in a joint statement.
"Fifty-five years ago, in Brooklyn, Dr. Primm created the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC), now known as START NY. He provided a supermarket of services to care for people in underserved communities grappling with substance use disorders, as well as unmet physical and mental health needs all driven by systemic inequities. He was way ahead of his time as his visionary approaches to prevention and treatment are still in use across the nation."
The street naming demarks the location where Dr. Primm founded the first of the six START NY clinics 55 years ago, and where it still exists to this day.
"Dr. Primm was a leader in the fight for justice and equity in our city, advocating for the needs of our communities’ most marginalized at a moment in time when many ignored them," said Councilmember Hudson. "From now on, Dr. Primm’s legacy as a community builder will be physically marked, reminding all passersby of our shared responsibility to care deeply for one another."
