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Rep. Driehaus calls on Kasich to spend from Rainy Day Fund to battle heroin

Posted at 2:53 PM, Aug 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-27 08:02:31-04

CINCINNATI -- State Rep. Denise Driehaus Friday called on Gov. John Kasich to immediately release $400 million in state dollars to fight the heroin crisis.

Her call comes as Greater Cincinnati is in the midst of an outbreak of heroin overdoses -- more than 80 over the course of three days, and counting.

Denise Driehaus

Driehaus asked Kasich to declare a public health crisis "and immediately make available $400 million in emergency Rainy Day Funds for local communities to help beat back the heroin and opioid torrent."

Ohio currently has a surplus of more than $2 billion in tax dollars, known as the Rainy Day Fund.

Her letter comes a day after Cincinnati Vice Mayor David Mann and Cincinnati Council Member P.G. Sittenfeld also called on the governor to release emergency funding to address the crisis. 

COLUMN: Gov. Kasich missed an opportunity to show leadership in the heroin crisis

In May, WCPO urged Kasich to declare the heroin crisis an emergency and use money from the Rainy Day Fund and state personnel to immediately address it.

EDITORIAL: Governor, save lives and declare the heroin epidemic an emergency 

The total number of overdoses rose to 88 overdoses by the end of Thursday. There were 24 overdoses Thursday, 43 overdoses Wednesday and 21 Tuesday in the biggest spike in heroin overdoses the Tri-State has ever seen.