By Kelly Cantwell
Editor

A recent report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Ohio had the second highest number of drug overdose deaths in 2014.

Ohio had 2,744 overdose deaths, following California with 4,521. Other states with more than 2,000 overdose deaths are Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Ohio’s count showed a 18.3 percent change in deaths from 2013 to 2014, according to the CDC report.

When the CDC looked at the rate of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people, Ohio ranked fifth, with 24.6 deaths per 100,000, following West Virginia in first, then New Mexico, New Hampshire and Kentucky.

“Opioids–primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin–are the main driver of overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 28,647 deaths in 2014 and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 2000,” the report states.

The CDC also found that since 2000, drug overdose deaths have increased by 137 percent and overdose deaths involving opioids have increased by 200 percent.

“These findings indicate that the opioid overdose epidemic is worsening. There is a need for continued action to prevent opioid abuse, dependence and death, improve treatment capacity for opioid use disorders and reduce the supply of illicit opioids, particularly heroin and illicit fentanyl,” the report states.

Ohio began seeing residents addicted to prescription medications before many other states. Many users then switched to heroin, Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director Karen Scherra said.

The majority of heroin users started their addiction on prescription opiates, which were prescribed more in Ohio than in other states, Scherra said.

“It feels like now the rest of the country is catching up to us, but our problem continues to grow as well,” Scherra said.

However, Ohio, and especially Clermont County, continue to see growing numbers of heroin users and drug overdose deaths, Scherra said.

The numbers for 2015 have not been finalized yet, but Scherra already knows overdoses have increased. If the Clermont County Sheriff’s office could not use naloxone, a drug used on people who have potentially overdosed to keep them from dying, there would be even more, Scherra said.

The CDC is also starting to see an increase in fentanyl-associated deaths.

However, Scherra has not seen a large problem with fentanyl yet and has not seen it to be a factor in most overdoses so far.

The Clermont County Opiate Task Force is continuing to work on reducing drug overdose deaths. During the task force’s December meeting, representatives from Colerain Township spoke about a program they use called a quick response team, Scherra said.

After responders save someone from an overdose, a police officer, a fire/emergency medical services individual and a treatment professional go back to see that person to talk to them and help them make a step towards treatment and recovery, Scherra said.

The task force would like to start a program similar to this at some point, Scherra said.

At the next meeting, the task force will talk to state legislators about what Clermont County is experiencing and what the county needs. In addition, the task force will hear what the legislators are doing in Columbus to reduce heroin use, Scherra said.