Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island is reversing a devastating trend amid the fentanyl crisis by leading New York City with the steepest decline in fatal drug overdoses among the five boroughs. Staten Island is outpacing the rest of the city by a wide margin in reducing deaths from overdoses that have been linked mostly to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Deaths from accidental drug overdoses plummeted by about 49% for Island residents last year, from 157 in 2023 to 81, according to the latest statistics by the city Department of Mental Health and Hygiene. In line with national trends, unintentional overdose deaths tumbled 28% last year citywide, with decreases occurring in all five boroughs. “The magnitude of this decrease is unprecedented and follows a nearly 10-year period of increasing overdose deaths in NYC,” according to a Health Department Epi Data Brief. However, overdose continues to be the leading cause of premature death citywide, claiming the lives of nearly 20,000 people since 2016. Overdoses are killing mostly men and boys, who comprised 77% of overdose victims citywide last year. Dramatic overdose declines in neighborhoods Staten Island had the fourth highest rate of overdose deaths last year citywide, falling from the second highest rate in 2023. The borough saw 76 fewer deaths last year, with the rate dropping from 40.2 to 20.7 per 100,000 residents, according to the Health Department. The statistics reveal dramatic reductions in overdose fatalities and renewed hope in neighborhoods throughout the borough. Last year, fatal overdose rates decreased by about half in Health Department-designated areas of Stapleton to St. George, and Port Richmond; those areas respectively ranked ninth and 10th in highest overdose rates citywide in 2023. The same roughly 50% decline in rates of fatal overdoses was recorded last year in areas that the Health Department identified as Willowbrook, and South Beach to Tottenville. Black and brown communities suffer most Black and brown New Yorkers continue to be most impacted by the overdose epidemic. Even though overdose death rates decreased for the first time since 2018 among Black and Latino people citywide, their rates remain about twice as high as those for white New Yorkers. Bronx residents had the lowest decline in rates of overdose deaths to 24% last year from 2023, according to the Health Department. Last year citywide, 2,192 people lost their lives to unintentional drug poisonings, 864 fewer deaths than the 3,056 people who succumbed in 2023. The citywide decline in fatal overdoses represents a rate of 31.7 such deaths per 100,000 residents last year compared to 44.5 per 100,000 residents in 2023. Fentanyl and cocaine are culprits in overdoses While on the decline, fentanyl continues to be the most common substance detected in overdose deaths. Last year, 73% of all fatal overdoses involved fentanyl compared to 80% in 2023, according to the Health Department. Cocaine was involved in 57% of overdose deaths last year. Lesser known but even more deadly medications designed for use in animals are involved in a small number of fatal overdoses citywide. Carfentanil was linked to 29 fatalities and medetomidine was implicated in 19 deaths last year. ‘A lot of work to do’ The decline in overdose deaths on Staten Island follows years of multi-pronged efforts from a wide range of government agencies, nonprofit groups and health organizations to combat a drug crisis that has impacted so many families on the borough. Among the coordinated efforts are the Richmond County District Attorney office’s HOPE program that launched in 2017, which diverts low-level drug offenders into treatment rather than prison; frequent distribution of live-saving naloxone, which the state now mandates be available over-the-counter; state Health Department distribution of drug test strips to allow users to check drugs for deadly fentanyl; a push for healthcare providers to embrace safer prescribing practices, with more than 60 Staten Island physicians signing a Safe Prescriber Pledge in 2024; an annually held Prescription Drug Take Back Day; and more. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon has warned, however, that the battle continues, as too many lives are still cut short. In an interview in late 2024, when initial data indicated a decline in overdose deaths, he said it is crucial that anti-addiction efforts continue to be prioritized. “My fear is that people will see the national decline and some decline here and think, ‘oh, the worst is over,’” McMahon said. “Oh no, this is still a raging epidemic and we have a lot of work to do.”
