CINCINNATI — Hamilton County officials have issued an overdose alert following nearly a dozen overdose deaths between Wednesday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 26.
The Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition is working to determine the cause of the spike and is waiting for results to come back from the coroner's office.
Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan said the coalition is keeping a close eye on fentanyl, other opioids from the orphan drug class and mixed drug cocktails circulating on the street.
He said the coalition is widely spreading overdose alerts to hospitals, treatment centers, and quick response teams to ensure they are prepared for potential surges.
"We've seen a significant drop in overdose deaths, a 66% reduction since the peak in 2017," Synan said. "For the first time in over a decade, less than 200 people died from an overdose; so, when you see this happen again, if one, it brings up some of those past memories, and with that is some experience, but also some red flags that we need to dig deeper, and there's some more work we need to do."
The 513 Relief Bus is making a stop in Lincoln Heights, working with the Talbert House to offer resources ranging from glucose screenings to addiction recovery services.
Synan said now is the time to stay alert.
"Never think we're out of the woods, always remain vigilant," Synan said. "Make sure that you're doing harm reduction materials, that you have naloxone, you're doing fentanyl test strips (and) make sure that you can connect to somebody, we have a significant amount of resources here in Cincinnati, Hamilton County."
Resources available to those fighting addiction include:
- Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition
- Hamilton County Public Health Department
- Center for Addiction Treatment 24/7 hotline
Click here to learn about more resources.
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