STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island is reversing a devastating trend amid the fentanyl crisis by leading New York City with the steepest decline in fatal drug overdoses among the five boroughs.

Staten Island is outpacing the rest of the city by a wide margin in reducing deaths from overdoses that have been linked mostly to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Deaths from accidental drug overdoses plummeted by about 49% for Island residents last year, from 157 in 2023 to 81, according to the latest statistics by the city Department of Mental Health and Hygiene.

In line with national trends, unintentional overdose deaths tumbled 28% last year citywide, with decreases occurring in all five boroughs.

“The magnitude o

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