As New York sees historic decrease in drug-related deaths, concerns rise on possible federal cuts

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – New York is seeing a historic decrease in reported drug overdose deaths.
With threats of looming cuts at the federal level by President Trump's administration, local leaders that specialize in drug recovery and treatment services are sharing their concerns.
Recent reporting from the CDC shows New York saw a 32 percent decrease in drug-related deaths in 2024 compared to previous rates in 2023.
According to the CDC, approximately 77 percent of those deaths involved an opioid, such as heroin or fentanyl.
'I think we don't really know all the reasons why we see this dramatic decrease. We do know there have been several programs that have taken up more traction. Some of that is the overdose prevention education that the Rochester community and the country have invested in as well as the Naloxone distribution. It's also education around safer opioid prescribing practices, and access to medication like Buprenorphine and Methadone,' said Dr. Sarah Bolduc, chief medical officer for Trillium Health.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdose deaths surged to record levels. With the recent decline comes concern surrounding the uncertainty for continued supports from the federal government.
Leaders with Rochester-based Trillium Health and Common Ground Health both say it could put programs backed by those federal dollars in jeopardy nationwide.
'There will be no treatment services available for people who want to get into treatment. There will be no funds to continue the prevention education piece of this, which is very important in our communities. We must keep doing the work until we're told we can't do it anymore,' said Jackie Dozier, director of community health and well-being for Common Ground Health.
As both local agencies continue to work to meet the needs of the community, leaders say they are bracing for any possible changes in the future.
'I think we will continue to see more deaths and see less of a decline if we have less programming and support economically for this programming in the community. We believe it's correlated. We know that things like Naloxone work, and having more ready-access and people carrying it just so they can potentially help somebody that's potentially struggling on the street, I think that's very important and all of that takes funds,' said Dr. Bolduc.
Last week, hundreds of national researchers and health care providers issued a letter to Congress warning about the 'dire consequences' budget cuts would present for substance use and mental health programs in the U.S., specifically in overdose prevention.
More information from New York State on the CDC's latest report can be found here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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