4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 22, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Drug overdoses spiked in Queens during COVID-19 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. “Th ere is no question that
the pandemic, which fueled a national drug
abuse crisis, also hit us hard here in our borough.”
Photo via Getty Images
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
Queens Chamber partners with Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Queens Chamber of Commerce
and the Flushing Willets Point Corona
Local Development Corporation (FWPC
LDC) announced a landmark agreement
on Th ursday, July 15, partnering on several
projects, events and initiatives in northern
Queens.
Tom Grech, president and CEO of the
Queens Chamber of Commerce, said
they’re delighted to reach an agreement
with the FWPC LDC, an organization
founded by the late Queens Borough
President Claire Shulman to revitalize
the greater Flushing, Willets Point and
Corona neighborhoods.
Th e two organizations will engage in a
meaningful partnership to carry forward
the vision of Shulman, Grech said.
“Because of Borough President
Shulman’s vision and the FWPC LDC’s
hard work, there is a plan in place to
develop a thriving community in Flushing
and Willets Point creating jobs and economic
opportunity for residents throughout
northern Queens,” Grech said. “We
look forward to completing this work in
a way that both benefi ts the businesses
and residents of Flushing, Willets Point
and Corona, and pays tribute to Borough
President Shulman, who did so much for
Queens.”
Founded in 2007 by Shulman, the
FWPC LDC is an organization composed
of private and public sector stakeholders
that seek to develop a comprehensive
set of economic development goals
for the Greater Flushing, Willets Point
and Corona neighborhoods in northern
Queens. FWPC LDC is dedicated to the
facilitation of projects that help revitalize
and stabilize these neighborhoods.
John Racanelli, chair of the FWPC
LDC, said founding and leading LDC was
the capstone of Shulman’s amazing life
and career.
“Every project initiated and accomplished
by the LDC has been the result of
her vision, energy and tenacity,” Racanelli
said. “Claire cannot be replaced, but the
LDC’s alliance with the chamber will
ensure that its work will go forward and
endure as a monument to her leadership.”
Borough President Donovan Richards
congratulated the chamber and the FWPC
LDC for coming together to create a “historic
partnership” — one that Shulman
would have certainly been proud of,
Richards said.
“With our Queens comeback well
underway, we must leave no stone
unturned in our eff orts to uplift and support
our local businesses in any way we
can,” Richards said. “My offi ce looks forward
to continuing our partnership with
these two vital organizations to accomplish
that mission.”
In 2017, FWPC LDC completed the
Revitalization Plan for the waterfront land
in Flushing. Today, they are focused on
a variety of issues facing the community,
including the expansion of aff ordable
housing, infrastructure improvement,
mass transit, open space and streetscape
issues.
Th e chamber will form a committee that
will focus on the work of the FWPC LDC
and continue to advance projects in the
neighborhoods of Flushing, Willets Point
and Corona.
Th e chamber will seek to establish an
appropriate naming opportunity in recognition
of Shulman’s eff orts to revitalize
the area.
In honor of Shulman and to support
its ongoing eff orts, the FWPC LDC and
Chamber of Commerce will host a fundraiser,
“A Night at the Ballpark” on
Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. at Citi Field.
Th e evening will be held in the Empire
Suites and will include a reception and the
ballgame where the New York Mets will
take on the St. Louis Cardinals.
For more information on the event, visit
queensalive.org.
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. Th e district attorney’s offi ce refers
eligible participants for clinical assistance for
treatment. Th e program also includes educational,
vocational and home health services
related to mental health or psychiatric
conditions.
Th e 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
• 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
• 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.
Th ose 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.
Photo courtesy of Queens Chamber of Commerce
(From l. to r.) President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Thomas Grech and Chair of the
FWPC LDC Rob Racanelli.
/FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
/queensalive.org
link
/locator
link
link
