City ODs soar
Drug deaths spike 47%, surging in all groups
OVERDOSE DEATHS in the city surged last year — rising among every race, gender and age group and in every borough, new data show.
There were 1,374 accidental drug overdoses in 2016 — up from 937 in 2015, a 47% jump, according to data released by the Health Department.
That amounts to nearly four fatal drug overdoses every day in the five boroughs. The rate of overdoses has increased 143% since 2010, from 8.2 for every 100,000 residents to 19.9 last year.
Staten Islanders had the highest rate of overdoses — which jumped 66% from 2015, the report says. The Bronx was next and had the highest total number of deaths, at 308.
The worst individual neighborhoods for overdoses were Highbridge-Morrisania and Hunts Point-Mott Haven in the South Bronx, followed by East Harlem and South Beach-Tottenville in Staten Island.
The rate of deaths was highest among whites, but black New Yorkers saw the biggest increase — an 80% jump in overdose rates.
“The final overdose data for 2016 confirm what we have feared — drug overdose deaths have reached a record high and are increasing citywide as the opioid epidemic continues to affect every community,” said city Health Commissioner Mary Bassett.
“We remain committed to addressing this crisis and will continue to work with the de Blasio administration to make sure that every New Yorker has access to lifesaving treatments and services when needed.”
Men were more likely to overdose than women, and the numbers were worst for people between ages 45 and 54, according to the new analysis.
Heroin was involved in 55% of all overdose deaths in 2016, the most of any drug, and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, was involved in 44%. Almost all of the overdose deaths involved more than one substance.
Rates of fatal heroin and fentanyl increases rose among all demographic groups, but the largest increase — 112% — was among black New Yorkers.
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) said she’ll soon introduce state legislation to make it legal to create sites where addicts can use drugs in a safer environment. “We owe it to our families to try to use every harm-reduction tool at our disposal to save lives,” she said.
The city has launched a $38 million plan that aims to cut overdose deaths by 35% over five years, which includes distributing more naloxone kits, which can reverse overdoses, and opening up more slots for medication-assisted drug treatment.
The Daily News launched a series last month dubbed “Opioid Nation” chronicling the growing epidemic.