STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Overdose deaths on Staten Island have increased four years in a row, with 155 deaths last year, according to local officials who released a comprehensive report.
The epidemic is hitting all ages on all parts of the island, but those dying are mostly boys and men.
Local authorities said it is clearly being driven by fentanyl flooding the market since 2020 -- and more could and should be done right now to save lives.
The Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force is a bipartisan group of law enforcement and medical professionals that is led by Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon.
"This is something we need to speak about more," McMahon said. "It's the crisis of our time."
The task force comprehensively studied overdoses in the borough for the past few years. It determined fentanyl played a role in deaths 75% of the time, and it was particularly deadly when cut into cocaine or mixed with the powerful sedative xylazine, also known as tranq.
The task force also found this is not an epidemic playing out on cold park benches -- though there are open-air drug markets -- the report revealed overdoses are happening quietly in homes and hotel rooms where people take something they do not realize will overwhelm their bodies.
"This is a crisis that affect everyone," McMahon said. "You can’t say it’s 'their' problem. It affects the doctor’s son, the lawyer's son, the sanitation worker's son, the waitress' son."
The task force came up with several recommendations, including stopping the flow of fentanyl components from China and the finished product from Mexico.
The group is advocating that those caught with large amounts of illegal drugs be bail-eligible once again in New York.
Overall they make the case that more is needed: more substance abuse resources, more housing for those grappling with addiction, and more public awareness, especially in schools.
McMahon said at this point, with what is out there, it is just no longer safe to experiment.
"With fentanyl, one pill can kill, that’s the real tragedy here," McMahon said.
But first and foremost, the Staten Island group wants Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a statewide Opioid Public Health Emergency to help with insurance copays, to speed opioid settlement payments, and to bring many other technical changes that would help.
So far the governor has not been willing to go there.
"Other states have declared the state of emergency and we will continue to advocate for that," McMahon said. "But we’re not stuck there, we’re going to try and implement as many recommendations as we can."
In response to a request for comment from PIX11 about whether a state of emergency would be considered, a spokesman for the governor said:
“Our administration is engaged in aggressive, ongoing efforts to address the opioid and overdose epidemic. We’ve distributed 100,000 naloxone kits and nearly 16 million fentanyl and xylazine test strips for free through our first-in-the-nation online ordering portal. We’ve deployed more than $335 million in opioid settlement funds into our communities, and are making this funding available faster than any other state in the nation. And we’re expanding access to treatment and services through mobile medication units, outreach and engagement services, and crisis stabilization centers, among other resources."
