Ohio second in drug overdose deaths nationwide
Ohio had the second-highest number of drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2014, a number that's soaring, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday.
Heroin and prescription pain relievers took many of those 2,744 lives in Ohio.
That's nearly one death every three hours last year.
In Kentucky, there were more than 1,000 deaths.
These grim totals placed both Ohio and Kentucky among the five states with the highest rates of drug overdose deaths as measured per 100,000 residents.
To combat the overwhelming problem, Butler County Commissioners plan to announce Monday they are forming a new opiate task force to address addiction. In partnership with Sojourner Recovery Services and other community efforts, the new program will focus on perinatal care to help women and children.
The CDC analyzed recent mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to track trends and characteristics of the crisis, including the types of drugs associated with these cases.
"Opioids — primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin — are the main driver of overdose deaths," the report stated.
More people died from drug overdoses in the United States last year than any other year on record. It’s an epidemic that claimed the lives of more than 47,000 Americans. That's more people than the Great American Ball Park can seat.
Heroin, painkillers and the like accounted for more than half of those deaths.
These cases aren’t just numbers. They are moms, dads, brothers and daughters. Some were struggling with addiction; some tried it just once. Others, like 25-year-old Jamie Green, were being treated behind bars, but couldn’t overcome the withdrawal. She died three months ago in the Kenton County jail after taking a "fatal cocktail of drugs" that were secretly provided by her mother, who now faces criminal charges.
According to the CDC, heroin-related deaths are on the rise. In 2010, the agency reported 3,306 heroin overdose deaths nationwide; that number more than tripled to 10,574 in 2014, reflecting the growing number of people reaching for the needle in Ohio and across the country.
The Northeast, Midwest and South are experiencing the steepest increases in death rates. Ohio saw an increase of 18.3 percent in its rate from 2013 to 2014, the eighth-highest increase nationwide.
The scourge is rippling through places such as Butler County, which has been “under siege” in recent years, as described in an Associated Press report published in October.
The article identified the county’s location as a catalyst to the problem, with Interstate 75 running though it and easy access to other highways acting as channels for the heavy flow of supplies. Butler County officials have also seen a switch from the more tightly regulated prescription painkillers to the cheaper, more accessible heroin, the report said.
"Efforts to improve safer prescribing of prescription opioids must be intensified," the CDC report stated. "In addition, efforts are needed to protect persons already dependent on opioids from overdose and other harms."
The Butler County coroner also told the Associated Press that overdoses weren’t uncommon.
Heroin proves a formidable foe in Butler County
The CDC report described the drug overdose deaths as an "emerging threat to public health and safety." It suggested public health agencies, medical examiners and coroners, and law-enforcement agencies work collaboratively to improve the detection of these outbreaks through improved investigation and testing.