By Kevin Deutsch
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The Bronx again led New York City in drug overdose deaths last year, new data shows, with 391 people succumbing in the borough after using narcotics.
In 2018, Bronx residents also had the highest rate of overdose death compared with all other boroughs. The rate increased by 9 percent from 31.4 per 100,000 residents in 2017 to 34.1 per 100,000 residents in 2018, according to the data compiled by New York City’s Department of Health.
Three Bronx areas were among those with the highest recorded rates of fatal drug overdose: Crotona-Tremont, Hunts Point-Mott Haven, and Fordham-Bronx Park.
Only East Harlem saw a higher death rate citywide, the data shows.
Overall, the city recorded 38 fewer deadly drug overdoses in 2018 than it did in 2017, with the fatality total falling from 1,482 to 1,444. The decrease followed seven straight years of increases, records show.
Opioids were involved in 80 percent of last year’s overdose deaths citywide, according to the Health Department.
For the second year in a row, fentanyl was the most common substance involved in overdose deaths, present in 60 percent of fatalities in 2018, the data shows.