Opioid-ridden Staten Island mistakenly forfeited $1.5 billion settlement fund: Politician

Staten Island is being forfeited its share of the $1.5 billion drug companies agreed to pay to prevent overdoses, despite the “neglected borough” being the epicenter of the Big Apple opioid epidemic, a local police officer claims.

The city’s share of the colossal legal fees is shared only with the city’s hospital system, and Staten Island is the only borough without a city hospital, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, a Republican, told The Post.

On Monday, Pirozzolo plans to testify in Albany before a state-appointed board of directors overseeing the fund that Staten Island faces a bad deal.

“It was never the intent of the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund to exclude any New Yorkers based on their location or lack of a city hospital,” Pirozzolo says, according to a copy of his deposition.

“Denying Staten Islanders resources that were specifically designed to provide much-needed assistance and protection is without a doubt discriminatory and likely illegal.”

Pirozzolo said he plans to press Gov. Hole, Mayor Adams and other officials to take steps to immediately give Staten Island its “fair” share of the 2021 settlement, which he estimates will exceed $10 million, or he will introduce legislation. requiring the city and state to do so.

Staten Island averaged 37.1 opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021, second only to the Bronx (58.7) among the five boroughs, according to the city’s Department of Health.

A spokesman for the mayor insisted there would be “multiple rounds of opioid settlement funds supporting lifesaving programs across the city, including Staten Island, as we work to overcome the overdose crisis.”