06 BROOKLYN NEWS
WWW.BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
BROOKLYN’S BATTLE
AGAINST OPIOIDS
Brooklyn is facing a major health crisis
that, for too long, has been invisible
in the public eye, and it’s not one of the
usual suspects. The nationwide opioid
epidemic is wreaking havoc in our borough,
destroying families and devastating
communities in the process.
Unlike heroin, which is an illegal
narcotic, opioids are a class of legally
prescribed medications that include codeine,
fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine,
and oxycodone, used to treat moderate
to severe pain following surgery, trauma,
or pain-causing health issues such
as arthritis and cancer. The pain relief
and pleasure they induce often cause
dependency and withdrawal when the
effects of the medication wear off. Patients
can become addicted as the effectiveness
of the opioids dwindles with
repeat use requiring increased dosage
to feel the same effect. This is where
unintended addiction and overdose is
a major consequence to using these
medications.
According to data compiled by the
New York City Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner (OCME) and the New York
City Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene (DOHMH)’s Bureau of Vital
Statistics, in 2016, there were 297
overdose deaths in Brooklyn, with Bay
Ridge, Bensonhurst, Bushwick, East
New York, and Williamsburg being the
most severely impacted neighborhoods.
Additional statistical analysis has found
that Brooklyn residents aged 55 to 64
years had the highest rate of overdose
deaths among all age groups. Rates of
overdose were highest among white
Brooklynites — nearly double the figure
for Black residents, although the rate of
overdose deaths among Black Brooklynites
increased by more than 50 percent
last year in comparison to 2015 figures.
In all cases, heroin was the most
common drug involved in these deaths,
constituting 55 percent of all fatalities.
Borough President Adams spoke to a standing-room-only audience in East
New York at the Brooklyn Public Library’s New Lots Branch for the first in a
series of free opioid overdose trainings hosted by his office.
The key pillars in the fight against
the opioid epidemic are distributing lifesaving
medication naloxone, as well as
increased public awareness of the availability
of the medication and the danger
of opioid misuse. Naloxone is currently
available without a prescription in more
than 750 pharmacies citywide and more
than 2,000 pharmacies across New
York State. In early March, NYC Health
+ Hospitals announced that its sites
in Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush,
East New York, and Fort Greene became
certified Opioid Overdose Prevention
Programs, a State initiative that enables
hospitals to dispense naloxone as well
as offer prevention training for patients
and community members.
Borough President Adams has
joined the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL),
DOHMH, New York City Police Department
(NYPD), and the Brooklyn Committee
of Alcoholism and Addictive Services
to launch a series of free opioid
overdose trainings that were held on select
dates at Brooklyn Borough Hall and
BPL branches throughout the borough,
starting on Thursday, April 5th at BPL’s
New Lots Branch in East New York. Attendees
are trained on how to recognize
and reverse an overdose and restore
Photo Credit: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
breathing using the lifesaving medication
naloxone, as well as how to become
a certified opioid overdose responder,
while receiving a free overdose rescue
kit with naloxone.
“Opioid addiction and misuse are a
worsening public health crisis that requires
action from all of us,” said Borough
President Adams. “This public
information campaign and training series
is a critical step forward in the fight
against overdoses as it will empower
Brooklynites with the skills needed to
administer naloxone to prevent needless
deaths. Everyone should know the
availability and effectiveness of this
treatment as we wage battle against
this deadly epidemic.”
Borough President Adams has been
outspoken about the need to uplift alternatives
to opioids and painkiller
overuse, including dietary changes
and physical therapy. These have been
personally impactful for him, both in
reversing his Type 2 diabetes and in recovering
from a recent shoulder injury.
“No one should live in pain,” said Borough
President Adams. “There are alternatives
to these medications that can
make you feel better and not endanger
your life in the process.”
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For more information on naloxone and to search for locations where this
medication is available, visit nyc.gov/health/naloxone.
For information on upcoming free opioid overdose trainings hosted by Borough
President Adams, visit brooklyn-usa.org.