CINCINNATI — A new monthly meeting for stakeholders in Cincinnati aims to tackle what many believe is an ongoing addiction crisis proactively.
“Now we’ve created a space where we’re talking intentionally and having all of those partners at the table,” said Meagan Guthrie, who leads the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition.
Her goal is to foster collaboration among various stakeholders to share vital information and strategies.
“Intelligence is one thing, and action is another, and having all of these stakeholders at the table really allows us to take what we're learning in this group and put it into action in the community. I think that makes a difference in this group—having all these partners at the table to take what we're learning each month and then implement that into our coalition work and our outreach work,” Guthrie said.
These monthly meetings facilitate discussions on current drug trends, focusing on overdose statistics, toxicology reports and drug-checking initiatives.
See more about the discussions on current drug trends in the video player below:
FBI intelligence analyst Frank Bolin provided insights into how local partnerships improve the investigative process.
“It’s information that we get as part of our normal casework and investigative work. Throughout the week, I pass it on to them, and it helps validate and verify what I’m seeing with what they’re seeing,” Bolin said, highlighting the importance of collaboration in understanding the evolving drug landscape.
Mike Davenport, who leads Hamilton County’s Heroin Task Force, emphasized the importance of investigating drug purchases.
“What we’re really trying to dig into is, were they getting what they intended to purchase? Were they asking for fentanyl? Were they asking for methamphetamine? And typically, what we're seeing now it’s not always what they were getting,” Davenport said.
“We want to ensure we don’t reach a new height in the addiction crisis, like we saw in 2017,” Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan said. “I do not think, at least here in this region, we will be caught off guard unless it's something brand new. If it is, we will be able to respond quickly, much more quickly than we ever have. It’s about being proactive. Now we have a group of people who are willing to share data because each part of that data tells a story.”
Currently, this drug trends meeting includes 10 members from four agencies, emphasizing collaboration to anticipate and respond to drug trends effectively while aiming to reduce overdoses and enhance community safety.
Hamilton County has experienced a 51% reduction in overdose deaths since 2017, credited to improved data sharing and proactive strategies.
“I think if people pay attention to what we're doing and how we’re getting this work done, I really think you could solve almost any problem,” Davenport said.
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