Res 0476-2018

By Council Member Holden Whereas, Opioid abuse and death are at epidemic levels in the United States (U.S.), and, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 64,000 people died of drug overdoses in America in 2016; and Whereas, Opioids include narcotics intended to manage pain from surgery, injury, or illness, and individuals who require surgery are at higher risk of opioid addiction; and Whereas, According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post, more than 4 in 10 long-term opioid users say they started taking painkillers for chronic pain, 25 percent started because of pain after a surgery, and 25 percent because of pain after an accident or injury; and Whereas, According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH), there was a total of 8,811,216 opioid analgesic prescriptions provided to New York State residents in 2016, and 30 million prescriptions provided from 2014-2016; and Whereas, The crude rate of opioid analgesic prescriptions in 2016 was 443.8 out of 1,000 individuals in New York State and 288.9 out of 1,000 in New York City; and Whereas, Between 2013 and 2015, at least 5,240 people in New York State between the ages of 18 and 64 died from opioid overdose, and 1,645 of those individuals were located in New York City; and Whereas, According to New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), overdose deaths in New York City remained at epidemic levels in 2017, and every 7 hours someone in New York City dies from a drug overdose; and Whereas, An estimated 1,441 people died in New York City from drug overdose in 2017, surpassing the amount of deaths due to overdose in 2016; and Whereas, According to the City of New York Office of the Mayor, of the estimated 1,300 people in New York City who died of a drug overdose in 2016, an estimated 80 percent of those overdose deaths involved an opioid; and Whereas, Of those who died from opioid overdose in 2016 in New York City, 18 percent involved prescription opioid painkillers; and Whereas, In New York State, all registered opioid overdose programs are furnished Naloxone (Narcan) by DOH, which is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking opioids in the brain for 30 to 90 minutes; and Whereas, In 2015, the New York City Health Commissioner authorized an order to make naloxone available without a prescription in participating pharmacies, and naloxone is currently available without a prescription in 750 pharmacies citywide including all major chains; and Whereas, It is crucial for those who are at risk of opioid overdose to know about the risks of opioids and how they can get assistance if they were to become addicted or experience an overdose; and Whereas, A.327/S.5879, sponsored by Assembly Member Edward Braunstein and Senator Michael Ranzenhofer, would help combat the opioid crisis by requiring that, for the first opioid analgesic prescription of a calendar year, the prescribing physician shall counsel the patient on the risk of overdose and inform the patient of the availability of an opioid antagonist; and Whereas, A.8538/S.5670, sponsored by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Senator Fred Akshar, would help combat the opioid crisis by requiring practitioners to counsel their patients regarding the details of their prescriptions and risks once they issue a prescription for a schedule II opioid; and Whereas, Both bills will help prevent opioid misuse and overdose by ensuring all New Yorkers receive the information they need to have a basic understanding of the risks of taking opioids once they receive a prescription; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, A.327/S.5879 and A.8538/S.5670, to require prescribing physicians to perform additional actions, such as counseling the patient on the risks of addiction and overdose, when prescribing certain opioids. EB LS 6972 06/14/2018