CINCINNATI — Local organizations trying to combat overdose deaths are ramping up efforts for Wednesday’s Overdose Awareness Day.
Overdose deaths surged in Ohio and Kentucky during the pandemic. However, national data from the last year shows the increase has slowed in Kentucky, and numbers have started to drop in Ohio.
There were still more than 5,200 reported overdose deaths in Ohio in the year, ending in March. In Kentucky, there were more than 2,300.
In an effort to combat this, Harm Reduction Ohio has distributed close to 35,000 “overdose reversal kits” over the last year with the help of hundreds of volunteers.
The kits contain NARCAN, or a generic form of Naloxone, which is medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.
“I say having Naloxone should be a part of everyone's first aid kit,” said AmandaLynn Reese, Director of Programming at Harm Reduction Ohio. “I think about it like a fire extinguisher. You never want to use one. But if you need it, you're glad you know how and that you have it.”
The organization distributes kits both in person and online. If you live in Ohio and want to order your own, they’ll ship you one for free. You can get one by visiting the organization’s website and watching a short training video.
NARCAN nasal spray and intramuscular naloxone are both available. The kits also contain resources and supplies including fentanyl test strips, face shields and a training guide.
Reese said a big part of the work involves reducing stigma. She said more people have been using the organization’s services.
“People are opening their minds and their hearts to a solution that isn't disposing of a whole part of our community,” she said.
The Coalition for Community Safety is also involved in similar efforts. The organization has been distributing supplies, including NARCAN, on the streets.
The organization has also held training sessions to teach the general public and bar and nightlife workers how to administer NARCAN.
“These large-scale classes for the communities and for bar staff and stuff like that are unprecedented in the United States,” said Noam Barnard, Executive Director of Coalition for Community Safety. “It's something that's not been done before anywhere else and it seems to be working, so we're going to keep doing it.”
A big concern right now is fentanyl-laced drugs. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the DEA. It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl.
Four in every ten pills tested in DEA labs contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, according to data released in December by the DEA and Department of Justice.
“There's fentanyl all over the place,” Barnard said. “It's killing people all over the place.”
Barnard says having and understanding NARCAN can help.
“People are using drugs,” he said. “Sometimes having NARCAN means somebody's using on the street and experiencing an overdose. Sometimes it means somebody was experimenting with something at a nightclub and accidentally ingested some fentanyl and is having an overdose reaction. One way or another, it needs to be out there and it needs to be available and readily available.”
Reese also stressed the fact that drug use isn't exclusive to any one type of person, and an overdose can happen anywhere at any time.
“Maybe you don't know someone uses drugs, but your neighbor, someone at a bus stop, someone at the post office,” Reese said. “It can happen to anybody, and everybody deserves a second chance.”
The Cincinnati Reds will also recognize Overdose Awareness Day at Wednesday’s game. The Reds are partnering with Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services and Recovery Ohio for Overdose Awareness Day which is part of Reds Country Cares, an on-going campaign to spotlight local resources that help communities.
The team will hold a pregame ceremony to honor various individuals working in this field, including two University of Cincinnati faculty members for their work in raising awareness of accessible Naloxone.
Harm Reduction Ohio and the Coalition for Community Safety are engaged in other harm reduction efforts too.
The Coalition for Community Safety also distributes bottled water, tampons, condoms and other supplies that individuals might need.
On September 10, they will hold an event to offer free hot lunch. The event will include other services such as NARCAN distribution and training.
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