Overdose Catastrophe: Ohio county death rates ranked, top to bottom
Harm Reduction Ohio ranked overdose death rates for 70 Ohio counties for 2019 and 2020. Scioto County (Portsmouth) is Ohio’s deadliest place. The least deadly? Ohio’s most affluent county.
Naloxone Reform Approved! Ohio ends license requirement for getting and distributing Narcan
Ohio eliminates need to get Terminal Distributor of Dangerous Drugs License to obtain naloxone. This removes a major obstacle blocking that the ability of laypersons and organizations from distributing naloxone. The change should revolutionize naloxone access in Ohio.
Ohio Overdose Catastrophe: Month of May deadliest month EVER in Ohio — and that’s saying something
Ohio reports 500 overdose deaths in May 2020, exceeding the previous carfentanil-driven peak of 484 overdose deaths in April 2017. When all fatalities are counted, the death toll for June will likely set a record for that month, too. Stress, job loss and social isolation from COVID-19 are the probable drivers for the record-breaking death surge now in Ohio.
EVENT: Book Launch for “This Is Ohio,’ by Jack Shuler
Join us Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. for the online launch of an important new book: “This Is Ohio: The Overdose Crisis and the Front Lines of a New America,” by Ohio author Jack Shuler. HRO President Dennis Cauchon will lead the discussion with the author.
Rest in Peace: Dylan Stanley
Dylan Stanley, 30, our former director of community outreach, was one of Ohio’s great harm reduction activists and certainly its best public speaker. She died of a suspected overdose in Columbus. Our hearts our broken. We miss her enormously.
Cocaine overdose? Administer naloxone
Four of five cocaine-related overdose deaths in Ohio also involve fentanyl. You never know what’s in a white powder. When a person loses consciousness, always administer naloxone. It can’t hurt. It can only help.
Ohio’s Tragic Repeat: Overdose deaths soar nearly 30% in first half of 2020
We must stop this. As of August 20, the state has confirmed 472 more overdose deaths in 2020 than were known at the same time in 2019. As Ohioans, we need to do something to save the lives of these wonderful and worthy people who use drugs.
Carfentanil is back, driving overdose deaths higher in Ohio
Carfentanil has returned to Ohio at levels not seen since the overdose death peak of 2017. The ultra-dangerous drug appears to have causedOhio’s overdose death increase in 2019. It’s unclear if the drug is responsible for the overdose death surge underway in 2020 during COVID-19.
Hancock County opens new syringe service program in Findlay
Congratulation to Hancock County Public Health! The county opened a new syringe service program in Findlay, its largest city, on July 30th. Hancock is the 21st Ohio county to approve a syringe program and is first new one in 2020, launching despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SPECIAL COVID REPORT: Ohio overdose deaths rise estimated 29% in first half of 2020
COVID-19 appears to have caused a big overdose death surge statewide in April-May-June, new data show. The death spike was seen everywhere in the state — in big cities, small cities, and rural areas. Also new: overdose deaths exceeded 4,000 in 2019, driven by accelerating death late in the year. The overdose decline of 2018 was fleeting.
JOB OPENINGS for Harm Reduction Ohio’s naloxone distribution program
A full-time Naloxone Distribution Manager and one or more part-time Naloxone Distribution Specialists will be hired to work in Harm Reduction Ohio’s central Ohio office. Our naloxone distribution program is Ohio’s largest. We distributed more than 9,000 kits and reverse more than 400 overdoses in the first six months of this year.
JOB OPENING: Office Administrator for Harm Reduction Ohio
Hours flexible: 15 to 35 hours per week. Pay starts at $14 to $20 per hour depending on experience. Job located in central Ohio. This is an important position and carries significant responsibility.
Where are overdose death rates worst in Ohio?
We need to keep our focus on the entire state because the highest overdose rates are in small towns and cities, not our biggest counties. Scioto County (Portsmouth) has had the No. 1 in overdose death rate for three straight years.
Ohio launches new anti-overdose media campaign
Campaign stresses naloxone, danger of all drugs, calling 911. Multi-racial images used in campaign. Critics say campaign promotes stereotypes, racial bias. What do you think?
Where does your county rank among Ohio’s 88 counties?
Ohio overdose death rates, by county, for three years: 2017-2019
Syringe programs re-opening, adding hours and services
Programs find ways to safely adapt to covid-19 See updated list of syringe programs, hours and locationsBy Elaine Louden, HRO Public Health Fellow Updated 5/20/20 Ohio’s syringe programs are starting to reopen and resume normal hours after closing or restricting...
Are overdose deaths increasing during COVID-19?
Some evidence points to increased overdose death during COVID-19 because people are using alone. That leaves nobody there to reverse an overdose with Narcan or call 911. Drugs may be more potent, too, because reduced demand may mean less cutting and dilution of drugs.
Harm Reduction Ohio distributes record amount of naloxone in March
HRO gave out 1,766 naloxone kits during the month of March. Ninety-percent of the kits were distributed through our online service, kindly supported by the Ohio Department of Health during the cvid-19 response.
HEALTH ALERT: Canton latest to close its syringe program (Updated)
At least 10 of the state’s 19 syringe programs have shut down. Others cutting back services sharply. Some programs hope to move online.
HRO fulfills 600+ online naloxone requests during first 13 days of covid-19
HRO’s online naloxone program, done in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Health, has been a success. More than 600 online orders have been placed, from 74 of Ohio’s 88 counties during the first 13 days of the program, a response to covid-19.
Salute a Harm Reduction Ohio Hero: Ashlee Schleter of Tiffin
We take a break from the pandemic to bring you good news about a good person: Ashlee Schleter. She is one of Ohio’s great layperson distributors of naloxone. This week, Narcan that she provided others resulted in two more overdose reversals. Thank you, Ashlee.
VIDEO: Sam Snodgrass, PhD, “The Struggle for Survival: Opioids, Addiction, and the Brain”
Watch the keynote talk at Harm Reduction Ohio’s annual conference.
This hourlong video presents Sam Snodgrass’s keynote talk at Harm Reduction Ohio’s annual conference in April. It deserves your time and attention.
Sam holds a doctorate in biopsychology and had a research fellowship from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He lost it all from an addiction to opioids. Several parents who lost a child to overdose told us they did not fully understand what happed and what their child was going through until they heard’s Sam’s talk at the Harm Reduction Coalition’s conference in New Orleans or elsewhere.
Sam Snodgrass, PhD
Sam’s talk his three major parts, each one fascinating in its own right:
- His personal journey from successful academic at medical school to a homeless opioid addict who’d lost everything.
- The neuroscience behind opioids and addiction.
- Why harm reduction is crucial to reducing overdose deaths and other destructive consequences of current drug policies.
Mary
Special thanks to Mary Stafford, a mother who lost a son to overdose and did not understand what happened until hearing Sam’s talk. She hired a professional video crew to record Sam’s talk at HRO’s conference. The recording was made for Broken No More, a family organization that hopes “more enlightened drug policies may help stem the tide of addiction and overdose.”
A big thanks to Sam, Mary and Laura Cash, a board member of both Harm Reduction Ohio and Broken No More.