Phoenix House Statement on 2024 NYC Opioid Overdose Deaths: "This Fight Is Far From Over"

NEW YORK, NY (10/28/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, Mayor Adams and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced that opioid overdose deaths decreased 28% citywide in 2024, reaching the lowest level on record in ten years.

Phoenix House CEO and President Ann-Marie Foster, a member of the NYSBA Task Force on Opioid Addiction, issued the following statement in response:

"Today's announcement represents a hard-fought milestone in our fight against the overdose crisis. Every life saved is a testament to the massive investment and unwavering commitment of our city's health workers, treatment providers, and recovery leaders. We should all take pride in this progress. But this fight is far from over: fentanyl has not gone away, and is as dangerous as ever. The ongoing government shutdown and proposed budget cuts threaten to reverse these gains and cost even more lives. We cannot allow the infrastructure that took a decade to build in our fight versus fentanyl to crumble around us now, letting a tide of opioid deaths rush back in. Phoenix House remains committed to serving our most vulnerable communities and working alongside our city partners to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the treatment and support they need."

In New York City, approximately 207,000 individuals report receiving substance use treatment, and statewide, nearly 2.8 million individuals aged 12 and older struggled with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the past year. But up to 90,000 residents report an unmet need for substance use treatment, according to the DOHMH.

About Phoenix House:

For nearly 60 years, Phoenix House New York and Long Island has helped thousands of people overcome substance and alcohol use in order to lead healthy, productive, and rewarding lives. Born as a model for integrated substance use treatment, Phoenix House has grown into a treatment network that offers short-term and long-term residential, intensive outpatient, and general outpatient treatment. Phoenix House also offers treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders, clinical services, medication for addiction treatment, health and wellness goals, and vocational and educational support.

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