Health Department to Distribute 200 Doses of Naloxone Today to Prevent
Fatal Opioid Overdoses in New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a proclamation declaring September 9, 2014
“New York City Overdose Awareness Day”
In recognition of Mayor Bill de Blasio declaring today New York City’s first Overdose Awareness Day, the Health Department will train New Yorkers on overdose prevention and distribute 200 doses of naloxone today. According to a new Health Department Epi Data Brief , 77 percent of drug overdose deaths in 2013 involved an opioid, including opioid analgesics (prescription painkillers), methadone, or heroin. On average, there is more than one fatal opioid overdose a day in New York City. Since 2010, more than 25,000 naloxone kits have been distributed and at least 500 overdoses in New York City have been reversed by using naloxone.
The Health Department is also promoting a “Day of Training” to encourage Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs across the city to host overdose prevention and naloxone trainings at their sites. Seventeen Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs have committed to this “Day of Training.”
“Naloxone is a life-saving tool and it should be used,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. “On New York City’s first Overdose Awareness Day, I want to remind New Yorkers that fatal opioid analgesic and heroin overdoses can be prevented. I thank the city’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs for their efforts to make naloxone more accessible to those closest to someone who may experience an overdose.”
Opioid overdoses most commonly involve slowed or stopped breathing. Naloxone, if administered promptly after an overdose, reverses an overdose and restores breathing in a few minutes. Naloxone is currently accessible through New York State certified Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs.
“Overdose has become very prevalent with heavy opioid use, and as a methadone maintenance program, we are concerned about the safety of our patients. We need our patients and their families to be aware of risks, to know this life saving information, and have this medication,” said Patricia Hincken, Director of Addiction Recovery Services at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Addiction Recovery Services.
“One of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard while doing an overdose reversal is hearing a person breathe again,” said Reilly Glasgow, Program Director of Overdose Prevention, Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center.
To prevent opioid analgesic and heroin overdoses in New York City, the Health Department distributes naloxone to syringe access programs and other programs in New York City. This medication reverses the effects of heroin and prescription painkillers, and can save lives if first responders or trained friends and family members administer it to an overdosing person. Recent New York State legislation allowing for naloxone to be distributed under a “standing order” from a physician will make this lifesaving medication even more accessible. Overdose prevention is one part of the Health Department’s larger strategy to address the problem of opioid addiction by increasing access to addiction treatment, raising public awareness, and promoting judicious opioid analgesic prescribing.
On Tuesday, September 16, Commissioner Bassett will join health commissioners from Atlanta, Boston and Chicago in Washington D.C. at the Big Cities Health Coalition’s Congressional Briefing on Opioids and the Urban Response. Commissioner Bassett will give an overview of the opioid problem in New York City and explain how the Health Department is addressing the problem.
In addition to distributing naloxone, the Health Department promotes access to treatment for opioid addiction, including medication assisted treatment through buprenorphine and methadone. These treatments reduce the risk of overdose among people suffering from opioid addiction, and help people regain their ability to function as family members, gain employment, and lead stable lives.
Individuals likely to witness an opioid overdose, including substance users and their friends and family, are strongly encouraged to become trained in overdose prevention and can call 311 to find out where to receive overdose prevention training and get a naloxone kit.
For more information, search “naloxone” at nyc.gov.