Heroin AddictionHeroin Addiction on North Brother Island

Even though the Tuberculosis Pavilion was constructed for the treatment of the disease it was never used for that purpose. Instead, it was used by the Riverside Hospital for juvenile drug treatment program. This is how drug addict patients who were going through withdrawal were treated- they were locked inside a secluded room and given just a mattress and a mess bucket. They were not given any medication unless their life was in danger and had to go through the process all alone.