NYC Prescription Painkillers Deaths Experience Upsurge

Death due to overdose by opioid painkillers increased by 65 percent between 2005 and 2011 in New York City, according to health officials.

And while all five boroughs saw an increase, Staten Island led the pack with a 261% rise in total.

Overall, 220 people died of overdose by the drugs in 2011, including 40 Staten Islanders.

For this reason, the Health Department announced it would convene two conferences for physicians and dentists in the island of roughly half a million people during the month of June in order to address the issue.

Of the upsurge, Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro stated in a press release, “The Health Department’s data confirms what many Staten Islanders have unfortunately witnessed firsthand: prescription opioid painkillers are out of control in our borough and taking far too many of our loved ones.”

Regarding the Health Department’s effort to address the issue, Molinaro added, “I am confident that we can make a positive difference.”

Furthermore, the Mayor’s Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse is developing and implementing coordinated strategies for responding to the growth of prescription pain medicine, health officials report.

In fact, in its initial report released in January of this year, the Task Force issued new voluntary emergency department guidelines to encourage safe and judicious prescribing of opioid painkillers upon patient discharge.

Among other things, these suggestions included offering only a short course of the medication and withholding from refilling lost, stolen or destroyed prescriptions.

To date, 20 hospital emergency departments across the city have adopted the guidelines.

“Prescription opioids can be dangerous drugs,” Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said. “They are chemically and biologically very similar to heroin and, like heroin, can lead to addiction and fatal overdose. Physicians and patients need to know the potential dangers of using these drugs.”