State Data and Policy Updates
The New York State Department of Health uses data and science to develop policies and interventions. On this page, you can:
- Learn about the New York State Department of Health's work to evaluate impacts of drug use and inform communities;
- Learn about some of the major substance use data systems in New York.
Data used to inform communities on drug use, overdose, and health burden
The New York State Department of Health has a robust drug and opioid data system with timely and public-facing data to enhance planning and response for state government and local partners. These data support partners and communities in assessing the health burden, identifying disproportionately impacted populations and areas for concentrating interventions, allocating resources, and evaluating progress made statewide and at the local level.
New York State monitors many important aspects of substance use, including fatal and nonfatal overdoses (and interactions with the health care system), service delivery coverage, and opioid prescription patterns. These data show trends for statewide and by county — including overdoses, prescriptions provided, hospital visits, and new drug threats — to support response efforts and save lives.
The New York State Department of Health conducts research to better understand risk and protective factors for overdoses, as well as opioid use disorder treatment initiation and maintenance. The Department's research informs public health policy and practice and contributes to scientific literature.
Find data on drug use, overdose, and prescribing
Did you know most overdoses in New York State occur in the home? The State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) is an enhanced public health surveillance reporting system that is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To inform public health action, it collects comprehensive information on fatal drug overdose cases and the circumstances under which they occur. It is critical to understand the context in which many fatal overdoses occur. SUDORS provides this information.
See trends data for drug-related key tracking indicators (such as overdose deaths, emergency visits, and prescribing) for New York State.
Browse many different resources for drug-related data, including dashboards, reports, and Data to Action Reports. Data to Action Reports are short communications on important topics that provide specific data to mobilize public health action. Each Data to Action Report includes key messages, quick facts describing the topics, figures illustrating relevant data, language describing recommendations, evidence-based approaches, and suggested actions and resources. Explore other surveillance reports including special topics using syndromic surveillance data.
View the New York State Opioid Dashboard, a key resource for monitoring fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses, opioid prescribing, opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, and the overall opioid overdose burden for New York State and local communities.
Explore the County Opioid Quarterly Reports with timely data for local partners and communities. This interactive dashboard provides provisional data for critical indicators including EMS, death, ED visits and hospitalizations, and treatment enrollment.
To see what is in New York State's drug supply, see our Drug Checking Data.
