Mayor Adams, DOHMH Acting Commissioner Dr. Morse Announce Lowest Quarter of Opioid Overdose Deaths in Five Years, Invest in Substance use Disorder Treatments to Further Decrease Opioid Overdoses

July 9, 2025

Provisional Overdose Death Count for Third Quarter of 2024 is Lowest on Record Since 2020, Continuing Decrease in Overdose Deaths

$4 Million in Annual Spending Will Support Providers to Expand and Improve Access to Medication Treatment  

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse today announced the lowest quarter in five years for opioid overdose deaths and new investments to drive opioid overdoses even further down. New provisional data from  shows that 498 people in New York city died from an overdose in the third quarter of 2024 — the lowest number of overdose deaths in a single quarter since 2020. In 2023, New York City saw a slight decline for the first time since 2018 when 3,046 people died of an overdose. Additionally, Mayor Adams also today announced contracts with nine treatment providers to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder, including methadone and buprenorphine, to further drive down opioid overdoses and deaths. A total of $4 million in annual funding across all contracts will help recipients improve their existing practices and shift towards a low-threshold model of care to serve people at greatest risk of experiencing an opioid overdose. Each awardee will tailor their services to support their community’s needs, using a model of care focused on same-day treatment entry and medication provision, flexibility, and wide availability across settings.

“For too long, opioid overdoses have ripped families and communities apart, but there is light on the horizon with opioid overdose deaths citywide seeing their lowest numbers in five years,” said Mayor Adams. “We are committed to maintaining this downward trend by continuing to invest in the programs and treatments that support those who are struggling. With smart investments, including those awarded through opioid settlement funds, we are making our city safer, healthier, and the best place to raise a family.”

“While overdose deaths in New York City show signs of continued decline, we must keep our foot on the gas pedal to continue to save more lives,” said DOHMH Acting Commissioner Dr. Morse. “The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene remains committed to investing in equitable access to harm reduction, treatment, and services that will not only keep our neighbors alive but help them thrive. Using these dollars to support evidence-based interventions through trusted community partners will allow us to reach more New Yorkers and keep people engaged in these lifesaving services.”

The contracts being announced today further the city's ongoing commitment to supporting New Yorkers in their journeys to stability and recovery and reducing overdose deaths by 25 percent by 2030 as part of “HealthyNYC,” the Adams administration’s ambitious plan to improve and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers. Methadone and buprenorphine have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of overdose death by more than 50 percent. Traditionally, delivery of medications for opioid use disorder have included strict requirements for treatment entry and continuation, increasing barriers to care for people with opioid use disorder. In addition to funding programs to implement low-threshold access to these medications, DOHMH will also facilitate trainings and provide technical assistance to awardees, allowing organizations to focus on providing high-quality, individualized care.

This funding will also support programs that help build bridges across health care and social service systems to strengthen the continuum of care for people with opioid use disorder. Funded programs will conduct engagement and offer services in locations where people with opioid use disorder spend time, which may include non-traditional settings such as shelters, supportive housing programs, and syringe service programs.

In January 2018, the City of New York sued manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids to remedy the harms caused within the city by the misleading marketing and improper distribution of these drugs. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a similar lawsuit in March 2019. Settlements reached by both the city and the state, as well as a court victory by Attorney General James, have provided the city with over $154 million to date, which is expected to grow to a total of more than $500 million by 2040. In June 2022, Mayor Adams and Attorney General James announced allocations for the first of hundreds of millions of dollars coming to New York City to combat the opioid crisis. In September 2024, Mayor Adams announced city funding will ramp up to an annual $50 million for opioid prevention and treatment.

Ongoing funds from opioid settlements through DOHMH have supported wraparound services for syringe service programs, including on-site medical care, connections to health care and social services, and support for basic needs. Between July 2024 and April 2025, syringe service programs that operate Overdose Prevention Centers provided more than 38,000 harm reduction services to approximately 6,600 participants, reducing the risk of overdose and infectious disease and providing referrals to treatment and other health and social services. In 2023, the Adams administration also allocated $3 million to eight providers on Staten Island through a request for proposal to directly support the expansion of buprenorphine treatment, outreach and engagement, and care navigation services in the borough. Procurement to expand the number of hospitals participating in DOHMH’s emergency department-based nonfatal opioid overdose response program called Relay remains ongoing.

Since beginning to receive funding through opioid settlements, NYC Health + Hospitals has had over 8,600 patient engagements with expanded substance use services at Street Health Outreach and Wellness vans, nearly 70,000 encounters with patients in emergency departments with addiction services provided by the Emergency Department Leads program, and has successfully launched a cutting-edge addiction simulation training for emergency department prescribers. Additionally, NYC Health + Hospitals has provided comprehensive addiction consultations at over 20,700 inpatient admissions through the Consult for Addiction Treatment and Care in Hospitals program. Additionally, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Drug Intelligence and Intervention Group program has offered support services to more than 2,000 individuals following the death of a loved one from an overdose. 

Today’s investment and all of the actions taken by Mayor Adams and the Adams administration to prevent overdose deaths also underscore the administration’s efforts to improve and extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers through “HealthyNYC” to 83 years by 2030. HealthyNYC sets ambitious targets to address the greatest drivers of premature death, including chronic and diet-related diseases, screenable cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and COVID-19.
New Yorkers looking to access substance use services can call or text 988 for free, confidential support 24/7. Resources can also be found on the “NYC HealthMap” and on DOHMH’s website.

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