Emerging signs of hope in Long Island's fight against fatal overdoses

Fatal overdoses in Suffolk and Nassau fell dramatically between 2022 and 2023, reflecting a welcome decline in drug deaths nationwide, according to public health data.

Public health experts, treatment providers, law enforcement officials and anti-opioid advocates familiar with Long Island's fight against the opioid crisis said there are several factors behind the decline in drug deaths — following a significant spike during COVID-19 -Pandemic. Perhaps the main reason, they said, is the widespread availability of Narcan, the life-saving nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses.

While these experts praised the decline in deaths, they said the scourge of opioid addiction, which has claimed thousands of lives on Long Island since the late 1990s, is far from over.

“Two hundred people die every day in the United States [from fatal overdoses]said Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's New York office.

“As good as it is to see a decline,” Tarentino said, “the numbers are ridiculously high. Too many people are dying.”

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Fewer fatal overdoses do not mean a decline in the use of opioids, cocaine and other drugs, said Kurt Hall, operations manager at Hope House, a Port Jefferson-based treatment program. He said there is a shortage of beds in recovery facilities and it is often difficult for drug users to access comprehensive care for mental health issues that fuel substance abuse.

“Until there are no more deaths, we are still experiencing this epidemic,” Hall said. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but I don’t want to be too optimistic.”

Education campaigns are also convincing people to be more careful with street drugs, experts say.

“People are still using, but are they more cautious? I hope so. I hope people are a little afraid of using recreational drugs,” said activist Carole Trottere of Old Field, a member of Families in Support of Treatment (FIST) and Gabriel's Giving Tree, which helps families who have lost loved ones overdose Burial costs to bear. Trottere began organizing Narcan training and distribution events after her son died of an overdose in 2018.

There were 463 fatal overdoses in Suffolk County last year, an 11.47% decrease from the 524 in 2022, according to county medical examiner data. These numbers represent a change in the way the county reports overdose deaths. The Suffolk Medical Examiner now covers a wider range of medications, which officials say provides a more comprehensive overview than in the past.

Positive trends

Suffolk has the potential for an even greater decline by the end of 2024; As of August 1, 164 fatal overdoses have been reported in the county. Barring catastrophic increases, Suffolk is expected to record around 281 drug deaths this year.

According to the New York State Offices of Addiction Services and Supports, also known as OASAS, 209 people died from overdoses in Nassau in 2023. This represents a decrease of 16.4% compared to the 250 in 2022.

Nassau County Administrator Bruce Blakeman's office would not provide Newsday with data on fatal overdoses.

“I assume you have already learned all of this from your sources,” Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle said in an email.

The downward trend in drug deaths in Nassau, with 62 reported this year through Sept. 17, also appears to be continuing, according to police department data provided to the county's Heroin Prevention Task Force and shared with Newsday.

These numbers only reflect fatal overdoses reported to police and may not reflect the total number of deaths.

Increase in fatal ODs

Many people struggling with depression, anxiety, loneliness and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic turned to alcohol and drugs to self-medicate, leading to a spike in fatal overdoses on Long Island and across the country, officials said public health and law enforcement agencies. Officials said people who were in recovery but unable to attend 12-step meetings or therapy sessions due to COVID-19 restrictions were falling back into substance abuse.

The pandemic has also disrupted the supply of drugs such as heroin and cocaine, law enforcement officials said, prompting dealers to reduce their products containing fentanyl.

Fentanyl in lethal doses is now found not only in opioids like heroin and counterfeit oxycodone, but also in cocaine and counterfeit Xanax and Adderall and other counterfeit prescription drugs. Experts and activists describe deaths from these drugs as poisonings, not overdoses. The cheap and deadly synthetic opioid is responsible for most fatal overdoses on Long Island in recent years.

“Many children struggle with anxiety and depression and may consume something loaded with something they weren’t expecting,” Nassau Legis said. Legislative Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove). “You shouldn’t take anything unless you got it from the pharmacy.”

DeRiggi-Whitton said she requested $10,000 from the Blakeman administration to distribute fentanyl strips, which detect the presence of the synthetic opioid in medications and allow users to take steps to reduce risk, but was denied. Blakeman's spokesman, Boyle, did not respond to a request to respond to DeRiggi-Whitton's claim.

“We need to get Narcan kits out,” the lawmaker said. “We need to get fentanyl strips on the market.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nationwide increase in fatal overdoses from COVID-19 appears to be easing somewhat. The CDC said there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States last year, a 3% decrease from the estimated 111,029 deaths in 2022.

Reason for hope

According to the CDC, this decline represents the first nationwide decline since 2018, and the numbers for 2024 look even more promising: Overdose deaths fell by more than 10% between April 2023 and April 2024.

According to Jeff Reynolds, executive director of the Family & Children's Association in Garden City, these statistics provide glimmers of hope where there was previously despair.

“After twenty years, hope is a precious commodity,” said Reynolds, whose organization offers treatment and support programs. “Each of these numbers, each of these percentage points that are going down, represents families celebrating the holidays together.”

The DEA and other law enforcement agencies, Tarentino said, have disrupted the flow of precursor drugs necessary to make fentanyl.

The DEA and its partners have also cracked down on the international cartels that distribute fentanyl in the United States, he said, pointing to the arrest in El Paso of Mexico's most wanted drug lord – alleged Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Texas.

“We have disrupted the fentanyl supply chain,” Tarentino said.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the decline, experts say, is the availability of naloxone, better known by the brand name Narcan. Narcan was not widely available to the public until March 2023, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for over-the-counter use.

Since then, it has become ubiquitous on Long Island in schools, houses of worship, bars, restaurants and other places where people gather. Narcan is available at the checkout counter in many convenience stores and pharmacies, right next to the ChapStick and gum.

“People consume with friends and a lot of people invigorate each other,” Hope House's Hall said.

The availability of Narcan has, in turn, increased awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, said Allison Van Cott-McEntee, who founded the Play It Forward Project, a nonprofit organization that helps people deal with the life-saving drug, after the death of her brother Steven Robert Van Cott Drug schools caused by an overdose in 2017.

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“A year ago I asked people what they knew about fentanyl, and a lot of people didn't know what it was,” said Van Cott-McEntee, who hosts a WUSB/90.1 FM radio show – also called “Play it Forward.” deals with opioids and addiction. “There is more awareness and Narcan is a big factor.”

Suffolk Police Paramedic Jason Byron has been conducting public Narcan training since 2015. Byron teamed up with Trottere in 2022 to offer quick demonstrations at events such as Alive by the Bay in Bay Shore and Alive After Five in Patchogue. He said he has distributed 7,354 doses of Narcan so far this year.

“In the past we have dealt with a lot of people denying that we have a fentanyl problem,” Byron said. “People are more aware of opiates now and want a Narcan kit. We encourage people to treat it like a fire extinguisher. It’s there when you need it, and we hope you don’t.”

Reynolds said the decline in overdose deaths could be because some drug users may have developed a high tolerance to opioids. Doses that could be fatal to newbies are not fatal to long-time users, he said.

The head of the Family & Children's Association said the decline in drug deaths is “a golden moment” for public health experts, law enforcement officials, treatment providers and activists to figure out what works and what doesn't – and allocate resources accordingly.

“We must do whatever is necessary,” Reynolds said, “to end this crisis once and for all.”