‘Progress’ on S.I.
Opioid overdose numbers show drop in 2019
In a dramatic reversal of a deadly trend, the number of fatal drug overdoses dropped 35% on Staten Island through the first half of 2019, officials announced Tuesday.
Preliminary statistics showed 37 fatal overdoses in the borough through June 30, 2019, down from 55 over the same period one year earlier. For the first six months of 2017, there were 58 reported drug overdose deaths.
“While there is still much work to be done, the current overdose rates show we are making significant progress in our mission to save lives and end the opioid epidemic on Staten Island,” said borough District Attorney Michael McMahon. “Our tireless efforts have finally brought us to a turning point in this long battle, but the war is far from over.”
The overall total of overdoses, both fatal and non-fatal, was down by 44% from 194 in the first half of 2018 to 108 for the first six months of this year.
Even the number of Naxolone saves for overdose victims dropped to 71 through June 30, 2019, contrasted with 139 during the same sixmonth stretch last year – a decrease of 49%.
“While this decrease in overdoses shows promising progress, we are by no means taking a victory lap,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo. “There is still work to do in this fight.”
Fatal overdoses on Staten Island stood at 68 in 2015 before spiking to 116 the next year and then beginning to ebb: 101 in 2017, 98 last year and a projected 74 for this year. In 2016, the city’s smallest borough had its highest per capital total of opioidrelated deaths: 32 per 100,000 residents.
“The NYPD’s top priority is the preservation of human life,” said Police Commissioner James O’Neill. “These preliminary figures show that by working with the community, health providers and our fellow law enforcement professionals we are in fact saving lives.”