Task force report on New York overdose prevention released

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — According to a report from the New York State Interagency Taskforce on Overdose Prevention, New York should work to remove the stigma of addiction and expand access to drug courts to help save lives. The report noted that, following national trends, COVID and the saturation of fentanyl, nytazines, and xylazine in the street drug market caused fatal overdoses to spike in recent years.

The task force report comes from the Department of Health's Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). A letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul from Dr. Chinazo Cunningham—OASAS Commissioner—starts the report by outlining its goal: identifying short- and long-term ways to lessen overdoses statewide.

Following through on the wide-ranging recommendations would connect drug users to better resources while helping to deflate the stigma. They include:

• Better drug testing, drug screening, and data collection
• More effective surveillance, outreach, and criminal justice diversion programs
• Easier intake processes and referrals for treatment
• Greater access to naloxone, safe drug disposal, and mental health treatment
• More training, education, and public awareness campaigns

Some advocates argue that passing legislation like S1976B/A1263B—the Treatment Not Jail Act, offering alternative due process through ad hoc treatment courts—would save more lives and do more to reform drug users than the current legal approach. Another option—proposed by Rep. Marc Molinaro, representing federal congressional district 19 in New York—would add Opvee, an FDA-approved and federally insured overdose reversal agent, to the state's arsenal alongside naloxone.

The report pointed to CDC numbers from 2017 tallying a roughly $4.65 billion economic loss due to overdoses, while noting as well the incalculable impacts on loved ones. And a June 7 poll from the Siena Research Institute said that the opioid crisis touches over two-thirds of New Yorkers.

The report stated that since 2010, fatal opioid overdoses increased five-fold in New York. And over 6,300 New Yorkers died from drug overdoses in 2022, with those numbers increasing annually.

Meanwhile, the Siena survey showed that 68% of those polled said they knew someone who either abused opioids or had a fatal overdose. The statistic grew from 59% in 2020. Also since 2020, the rate of New Yorkers seeking treatment almost doubled.

The OASAS report focused on social and health factors that are associated with increased risk for drug use, and how the state might intervene to prevent, treat, and generally reduce the damage and risk of overdosing. It linked variables like diet, housing, transportation, education, and health care coverage to the chances of a future overdose.

The Siena College Poll surveyed 955 New Yorkers from March 29 to May 10. The overall margin of error was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Take a look at the report below: