The overwhelming majority of those in New York City who obtained a naloxone kit to counteract opioid overdose had a high need for the drug, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The study, published Jan. 16 in the Journal of Urban Health, found that 97% of people who received naloxone kits through various opioid overdose prevention programs were at high risk of overdosing or witnessing an overdose. But the authors noted fentanyl overdoses still disproportionally affect some racial and ethnic groups more than others.
More than half of the overdose deaths in New York City in 2017 involved fentanyl, an opioid-derived drug that has taken over the illicit opioid drug market. With 56% of fatal overdoses involving the opioid, the Health Department responded by distributing more than 100,000 naloxone kits in 2018 containing a medication engineered to reverse opioid overdoses. They also increased the number of opioid overdose prevention programs to more than 300 by the end of 2023, focusing on populations and neighborhoods with the highest need, and have continued to increase distribution of naloxone citywide.
