The opioid antidote ‘Naloxone' is getting most of the credit for the 26% drop in overdose deaths on Staten Island in 2017.
The lifesaving antidote regularly carried by police, EMT's and family members of heroin addicts is part of the year-old HOPE program which helps low-level drug offenders get treatment instead of prison time.
The overdose death toll on Staten Island dropped from 116 in 2016 to 86 in 2017.
Staten Island borough Police Chief Michael McMahon was optimistic but knows "the battle is far from over."
NYPD Chief James O'Neil said Staten Island has been particularly hard hit so it's encouraging that overdose numbers have dropped by more than 25%.
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