(Washington Insider Magazine) 80% of fatalities are associated with fentanyl use.
Several data revealed by the health authorities are very harsh: 2,668 people died of drug overdoses in the Big Apple in 2021. This means an increase of 78% since 2019. And 27% since 2020.
There is another precision: Fentanyl, an opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, was detected in 80% of drug overdose deaths in New York City in 2021. Furthermore, it was the most common substance involved. in loss of life associated with substance use for the fifth consecutive year.
The devastating effects of this narcotic are followed by cocaine. From 2020 to 2021, the overdose fatality rate increased from 15.1 to 18.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The rate of deaths from this cause were highest among black New Yorkers for the second year in a row. More than double the 24 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 and the 53.5 in this same range of people in 2021.
Similarly, it is confirmed that residents of the Bronx had the highest percentage of fatalities due to overdose in this period of time. And specifically this dramatic crisis most affected residents of Hunts Point-Mott Haven, Crotona-Tremont and Highbridge-Morrisania.
In the Poorest Neighborhoods
The Epi Data Brief 2021 report released this week by the New York City Department of Health (DOHMH) reconfirms that these fatalities are almost concentrated in the poorest neighborhoods of the five boroughs.
“These deaths are heartbreaking and many, if not most, are entirely preventable. We must use all tools to offer support. Victims’ shame and fear have worsened the situation and delayed the deployment of proven solutions,” reasoned DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
The official numbers also point out that New Yorkers between the ages of 55 and 64 concentrated the highest number of deaths caused by crises generated by substance use.
The Strategy
The DOHMH, by disclosing these statistical data, in parallel, announces the reinforcement of all strategies to reduce these trends.
“We must use these worsening results to serve people where they are. Our team is working on an expanded response plan to continue fighting this crisis. This is what the moral leadership that this moment demands is all about,” Vasan remarked.
Among the inventory of strategies, the expansion of treatment and harm reduction services, such as the Overdose Prevention Centers (OPC), will continue to be supported in the neighborhoods most affected by these fatalities.
The pilot drug screening program will be expanded into syringe service programs to quickly detect substances such as xylazine that may be present in the drug supply. As well as the distribution of naloxone kits, overdose reversal training and the provision of fentanyl test strips.
This article is authored by Fernando Martínez.
