Fatal Opioid Overdoses Down 25.5% Countywide: Report

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Fatal opioid overdoses across Suffolk County have dropped more than 25 percent in a single year, a new report indicates.

According to an annual report by the Suffolk County Heroin and Opiate Epidemic Advisory Panel, released last week, the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's projected figure for total opioid deaths in 2019, 283, dropped from a total of 380 in 2018 — or a percentage of 25.5 percent.

The drop in fatal ODs, according to the report, was attributed to the county’s efforts in combating addiction including education and prevention; rehabilitation and treatment; and law enforcement and the court system.

Also, the report said, the county purchased a mass spectrometer with forfeiture funds. "Drug dealers are creating their own synthetic drugs by alternating the chemical compounds and eluding prosecution if the drugs cannot be identified. This technology identifies the make-up of illicit drugs and assists law enforcement in identifying the drug after it has been seized. In addition, the medical examiner can identify the drug that caused an overdose death," Legislator and Panel Chairwoman Sarah Anker said.

Many drug dealers are adding fentanyl to heroin or opioids that are causing the majority of drug overdose deaths; fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is 100 times more powerful than heroin, Ander said. In addition, the use of the illegal drug methamphetamine is on the rise, as well as legal benzodiazepines and Tramadol, a manmade opioid which has led to an international addiction epidemic, she added.

Despite the dramatic dip in fatal ODs, the aftershocks of the opioid crisis are staggering, panel members agree.

"The epidemic fallout has caused an estimated 2 million people to become addicted to opioids in

the United States. In 2017, 47,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose — that’s 130 people per
day. There have been approximately 700,000 opioid related deaths from 1999 to 2018. That’s
more deaths than all American wars combined, excluding the Civil War," said Anker in a letter included in the report. "Even though we are currently seeing a deceleration of opioid addiction and death in this country, many Americans are losing their battle to addiction and we are nearing a death toll that will soon surpass war deaths of over one million fatalities."

Anker added that 10 years ago, she "was shocked to hear that one of my son’s classmates, a 13-year-old boy, died of an opioid overdose on his living room couch."

Following the boy’s death, she facilitated a presentation on drug addiction awareness by Dr. Stephen Dewey at the Mt. Sinai High School.

"Through the use of brain imaging, Dr. Dewey showed an auditorium of high school students how drugs change the chemistry of the brain and could cause permanent brain damage. This provided a wake-up call for students experimenting with drugs, showing that they could actually be creating their own mental illness by becoming addicted. We now know that drug addiction and mental illness are co-occurring diseases, and in order to combat the opioid epidemic we must treat both diseases," Anker said.

Decreases in deadly ODs have been reported elsewhere: In addition to Suffolk County, New York State has seen its first reduction in opioid overdose deaths in a decade, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo announced recently that opioid overdose deaths among New York State residents, outside New York City, declined 15.9 percent in 2018 compared to 2017— the first decrease in 10 years. While close to 2,000 people died from opioid overdoses last year, the decrease remains a "significant milestone" and is the result, he said, of "aggressive actions' taken in the past several years to combat opioid addiction.

After years of rising opioid-related overdoses deaths among New York State residents, 2018 finally saw a drop, from 2,170 deaths in 2017, to 1,824 deaths, according to preliminary New York State Health Department data covering areas outside New York City, the governor said. Also, he added, hospitalizations for opioid related overdoses decreased 7.1 percent — from 3,260 in 2017 to 3,029 in 2018.

Overdose deaths, hospitalization statistics and other data are included in the most recent New York State County Opioid Quarterly Report, available The state's actions to fight back against addiction, Cuomo said, are outlined in the new Heroin and Opioid Task Force Progress report detailing three years of work and improvements to expand and enhance services aimed at attacking the insidious opioid crisis; those task force recommendations were signed into law in 2016.

"New York's first reduction in opioid overdose deaths in over 10 years is an important milestone and demonstrates our work to combat this deadly scourge is working," Cuomo said. "And while New York has taken the most aggressive actions to combat the opioid crisis of any other state in the country, the opioid epidemic continues to devastate too many families and we will not rest until we put an end to it once and for all."

The needs remains dire, he reminded. "While this is encouraging news, we must remain vigilant as many communities across the state are disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic. New York State continues work on targeted efforts to prevent opioid misuse and overdoses while enhancing services for people with opioid use disorder and increasing access to those services in areas with the greatest need."

The New York State Heroin and Opioid Task Force was convened by Cuomo in 2016; he reconvened the task force in his 2019 State of the State proposals. Co-chaired by Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul and Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez, the task force proposed new, non-traditional services, including recovery centers, youth clubhouses, expanded peer services, Centers of Treatment Innovation, mobile treatment, telehealth and 24/7 open access centers, which provide immediate assessments and referrals to care, Cuomo said

Those programs have been established in communities statewide and have helped people in need access care closer to where they live.

Work to be done

On Long Island, Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, and who also sits on the governor's task force, reflected on the news of a decrease in Suffolk County fatal overdoses.

"I think the report does a good job of highlighting some recent victories in fighting the opioid epidemic, well at the same time mapping out a game plan for getting Suffolk to the next level in terms of reducing fatal overdoses," he said. "The decline in fatalities since 2018 is proof positive that some of things we are doing to enhance prevention, access to treatment and recovery support are working, but until those overdoses hit zero, there’s still more to be done.”

He added that he is concerned about the "commensurate rise" in the use of other drugs like Xanax, cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as the continued threat posed by alcohol.

"I’d hate to see us declare victory when it comes to opioids, only to lose more folks to other substances because our attention was too limited," Reynolds said. "We also need to get back to basics and have a conversation about why people turn to substances and the impact of untreated mental health conditions. For many, substance use is a symptom of a mental health condition and we’ve got to start addressing these issues in a more unified, proactive and sustained way."

Longtime news anchor Drew Scott, who lost his beloved granddaughter Hallie Rae Ulrich to an overdose in 2017 and later co-chaired the Southampton Opioid Addiction Task Force, reflected on the report: "I am very encouraged by the latest statistics released by the Suffolk County Task Force. I think in the long run, though, it’s foolish to rely on a numbers game because we are facing new non-opioid drugs and new problems with those who are addicted."