As heroin crisis deepens, New York’s new prevention effort kicks in

In 2015, 937 New York City residents died from a heroin overdose, a 17.1% rise over the previous year. Of all over- dose deaths in the city that year, 59% involved heroin.

But countermeasures passed by the state last year are now taking effect. More than a dozen new insurance reforms took hold Jan. 1. One requires insurers to pay for rehabilitation; another establishes a seven-day limit on initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain, a reduction from 30 daysin an effort to stem addiction.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in his recent State of the State address, called for more treatment expansions, including 24/7 crisis treatment centers and creating high schools for students in recovery.