4 JULY 22, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Drug overdoses spiked in Queens during pandemic: DA
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Queens District Attorney Melinda
Katz announced today that drug
overdoses in the borough spiked
during the pandemic.
“In 2020, there were 391 overdose
deaths, a 45.5 percent increase over
2019, when there were 268 overdose
deaths,” Katz said in a statement.
“There is no question that the pandemic,
which fueled a national drug
abuse crisis, also hit us hard here in
our borough.”
According to the data compiled
from the NYPD and the Offi ce of the
City Medical Examiner, 71 percent of
all suspected drug overdose deaths
in Queens are related to fentanyl or
fentanyl derivatives.
“While there were 82 homicides in
Queens last year, there were nearly
fi ve times as many deaths due to drug
overdoses,” Katz said. “Fentanyl is a
dangerous, lethal drug — and oft en
people don’t even know they are taking
it because it is mixed with other
drugs or sold as pills. Addressing this
epidemic remains one of the greatest
public health challenges facing current
and future generations of Queens
residents.”
Federal data indicated that COVID
19 pandemic-related stress, job
loss and the lockdown have increased
the use of opioids and reports of
overdoses across the country and in
Queens.
According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 93,000
people died from drug overdoses in
2020 throughout the country.
“My offi ce remains committed to
equitable drug policies and provides
avenues of support through Queens
Treatment Court and specialized
treatment courts,” Katz said. “Evidence
based public health and safety
interventions are our most eff ective
tools in helping residents reclaim
their lives.”
A new program, Queens Connect, in
the Queens Misdemeanor Treatment
Court provides participants with
treatment and other services. The
district attorney’s offi ce refers eligible
participants for clinical assistance
for treatment. The program also
includes educational, vocational and
home health services related to mental
health or psychiatric conditions.
The following data is a breakdown
of 2020 suspected overdose deaths in
Queens and resources, provided by
the district attorney’s offi ce:
MEN
Total suspected overdoses: 313 (80
percent)
Men by age group:
10-20: 11
21-30: 57
31-40: 97
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A Kew Gardens resident recently created and
started to sell his own card game for kids that
encourages them to explore their own creativity.
Michael Schmidt works at a children’s art studio called
Little Pulp in Glendale. In November, he was looking into
other games that kids are into but was wondering why kids
couldn’t create their own game characters. So he created a
game where kids could essentially make their own game.
The game, Namikopy, comes with a deck of 30 blank
cards. Schmidt said most of the fun comes from designing
your own characters. Once you have your cards, you
assign each card a value.
Then with the other players, you put down a card hoping
to have a higher value than your opponent. Whoever
has the card with the highest value picks up the other
cards. The player with the most cards at the end wins.
“The game is very simple. It’s not a lot to it,” Schmidt
said. “I suggest to the kids if they can come up with a better
idea, go for it. The game is fun, but it focuses more on
the creative aspect of it and the character development.”
Though the game has a simple concept, Schmidt said
he really just wanted to make a game where kids could
put their imagination to the test.
Photo via Getty Images
Hispanic White: 1
Asian: 2
Asian Pacifi c: 5
QUEENS COUNTY OPIOID
TREATMENT RESOURCES
To fi nd a treatment provider, visit
FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov.
Call the 24/7 NYS Hopeline: 877-
846-7369 or text 467369 for free and
confi dential help.
Those in need may also fi nd help at
fi ndtreatment.samhsa.gov/locator
ADDICTION TREATMENT
CENTERS
Samaritan Daytop Village
144-10 Jamaica Ave.
Jamaica, NY 11435-3624
718-206-2000
Cornerstone Treatment Facilities
Network
159-05 Union Tpke.
Fresh Meadows, NY 11366
800-233-9999
Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities,
Inc.
107-20 Northern Blvd .
Corona, NY 11368
718-651-0096
EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
HEALTH SUPPORTIVE
SERVICES
NYS Offi ce of Mental Health Emotional
Support Helpline
844-863-9314
Open seven days a week from 8 a.m.
to 10 p.m.
Schmidt said the kids at Little Pulp love the game. So
far, he has sold about 20 decks.
“I’m amazed by what they come up with; I’m more
blown away by what they come up with,” Schmidt said.
“It inspires them to know they’re playing a game that they
also had a part in creating.”
The game is sold for $15 and comes with instructions
on designing the cards and playing the game.
The game is sold at Namikopy.com and on Etsy.
41-50: 62
51-60: 52
61-70: 29
71-80: 4
81-90: 1
Men by ethnicity:
White: 140
Black/African American: 66
Hispanic: 73
Hispanic Black: 1
Hispanic White: 5
Asian: 10
Indian: 3
Asian Pacifi c: 12
WOMEN
Total suspected overdoses: 78 (20
percent)
Women by age group:
10-20: 1
21-30: 11
31-40: 17
41-50: 17
51-60: 23
61-70: 9
Women by ethnicity:
White: 40
Black/African American: 20
Hispanic: 10
Kew Gardens man creates his own game for kids
that inspires them to use their own creativity
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/WWW.QNS.COM
/FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov
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/Namikopy.com
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