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Opioid Crisis & Addiction Management – Focus on New York

Fact Sheet

Opioid Crisis & Addiction Management

– Focus on New York-

Opioid Crisis: By The Numbers

U.S. — Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.1

  • In the U.S. there were more than 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016and Opioids killed 42,000+ Americans; about 115 people per day; 5 times more than in 1999.2

NortheastBetween 2015 and 2016, the incidence of death from drug overdose increased significantly in the Northeast, Midwest and South Census Regions.2

New York State — InNew York from 2010 to 2015 the opioid overdose death rate doubled and the heroin death rate increased by over five times.3

  • In 2016, the death rate in New York was 15.1 per 100,000 persons (national rate was 13.3).4

  • In one year, from 2015 to 2016, drug deaths in New York State increased 29 percent — from 3,009 total deaths to 3,894.5

  • In 2015, New York was in the top 10 states with the highest total health care costs from opioid abuse — with $1,256 million in costs.6

New York City — In NYC, every seven hours, someone dies of a drug overdose.

  • More New Yorkers die of drug overdoses than homicides, suicides, and motor vehicle crashes combined.

  • Overdose deaths in New York City (NYC) have increased for seven consecutive years.

  • Fentanyl, a highly potent opioid, continues to be involved in approximately half of all overdose deaths.

  • Opioids are involved in more than 80% of all overdose deaths.7

Stemming the Crisis Through Medication Assisted Treatment

The consensus best-practice approach for opioid addiction treatment is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), which combines drug therapy (methadone, buprenorphine, or extended-release, injectable naltrexone) counseling and behavioral therapies.8

  • MAT = Medication + Psychological Services + Medical Services + Social Services8

  • In MAT, medication helps to mediate physiological impacts of addictive substances; counseling and behavioral therapies address psychosocial factors related to addiction, as well as practical challenges many people struggling with addiction have to face along the path to whole life recovery.8

  • MAT has been shown to deliver a 75% reduction in risk of addiction-related death among individuals who received MAT vs. those who did not.1

  • MAT is also associated with increasedtreatment retention, patient survival and employment rates; improved birth outcomes; and decreasedopioid use, criminal activity, and risk of HIV andHep C.8

  • According to NIH leaders, “the safety and efficacy of MAT has been unequivocally established. …[M]ethadone maintenance coupled with relevant social, medical and psychological services has the highest probability of being the most effective of all treatments for opioid addiction.”1

  1. Confronting an Epidemic: The Case for Eliminating Barriers to Medication-Assisted Treatment of Heroin and Opioid Addiction.” Legal Action Center, March 2015. http://bit.ly/2KkWviT
  2. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention: “Opioid Overdose”http://bit.ly/2O69S93
  3. New York State – Opioid Annual Report, Published October, 2017 https://on.ny.gov/2n4cTLh
  4. National Institute on Drug Abuse.New York Opioid Summary.http://bit.ly/2KhFPZC
  5. Rockefeller Institute of Government. “By The Numbers: Opioid Deaths Continue to Surge in New York State” http://bit.ly/2O7Vltx
  6. Matrix Global Advisors, LLC. “Health Care Costs from Opioid Abuse: A State-by-State Analysis”. 2015. http://bit.ly/2vudaLA
  7. NYC Department of Health, Provisional 2017 Drug Overdose data:https://on.nyc.gov/2vb2y4O
  8. Medication-Assisted Treatment: MAT for Opioid Use Disorder: Medication and Counseling Treatment” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHSA), 9/28/15 http://bit.ly/2O58SBL