Cuomo touts 1st decrease in overdose deaths in a decade

For the first time in a decade, the number of opioid overdose deaths in New York state-- outside New York City-- is dropping.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a report on Monday that overdoses fell about 16 percent last year compared to 2017. It's the first decrease since 2009.

Cuomo's office attributes the drop to aggressive action from the state's heroin and opioid task force, which formed in 2016.

The report cited factors like more treatment and prevention programs, more funding in specific communities and removing insurance barriers.

Cuomo called the report a milestone, and said, "The opioid epidemic continues to devastate too many families and we will not rest until we put an end to it once and for all."