By Hank Russell
A recent report came out that overdose-related deaths have fallen across the statewide, including on Long Island.
Findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed a 32 percent drop in drug-related deaths in 2024, compared to those in 2023. An estimated 4,567 New Yorkers died of a drug overdose in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023, according to the CDC. Approximately 77 percent of these deaths involved an opioid, such as heroin or fentanyl.
“These numbers are further validation of our commitment to investing in real solutions which address the negative impacts of the opioid epidemic,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “We continue to expand and enhance services across the state, ensuring New Yorkers in need can access these lifesaving resources.”
“These numbers show that our hard work, and innovative approaches to establishing services are making a difference across the state,” Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham added. “New York has one of the strongest systems of addiction care in the nation, and we look forward to seeing further reductions in overdose deaths as we continue to strengthen our continuum of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services.”
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald called the CDC’s numbers “encouraging. It’s a testament to the countless communities, organizations and programs that are focused on reducing drug overdoses and the harmful impacts of substance use disorder.”
The state referred to its NYS Overdose Death Dashboard, which only collects data up to 2023. Based on the dashboard, Suffolk had 500 drug-related deaths in 2023, which is down 8.9% from the previous year, when 549 people died of overdoses. Further, it snapped three straight years of increases since 2019, when there were 323 deaths — 54.8% lower than the 2023 figures.
According to the dashboard, Suffolk has the fifth-highest number of overdose deaths behind Bronx (874), Kings (742), New York (539) and Queens (526) Counties.
Nassau County saw 209 fatalities in 2023, according to the dashboard. That is 16.4% less than 2022’s figure of 250 and 24.8% lower than when 278 people died of an overdose in 2021 — a peak figure since 2019. In fact, the 2019 number of 211 is up only 0.9%, compared to the number of deaths two years ago.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Suffolk and Nassau County District Attorney’s offices, but did not hear back from them as of press time.
“While this is good news and shows we are moving in the right direction, there’s still more work to do to prevent overdose deaths. It’s vital we continue to identify communities that are not experiencing these declines equally. There’s still much to do and we remain committed to our central goal of preventing all drug overdoses in New York State and achieving an overdose-free generation.”