Portage County overdose death tolls rise, fentanyl a leading cause

5,083 Ohio residents died of accidental drug overdoses in 2021.

This number breaks the previous record of 5,017 deaths in 2020. The worst year before the Covid pandemic had been 2017 when 4,854 Ohioans died in an overdose death surge driven by introduction of carfentanil, the most powerful and dangerous fentanyl analog, into Ohio’s drug supply.

Overdose deaths rose by 33% in Portage County, from 33 deaths in 2019 to 44 deaths from 2020. Nationally, overdoses rose by 29%.

The percentage of Ohio unintentional drug overdose deaths that involve fentanyl have continued to increase.

In 2020 alone, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine and used as a pain medication, was involved in 81% of unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio.

Many people have a fentanyl addiction, with just as many being poisoned due to the lacing of drugs. Individuals who are impacted are not aware they have ingested fentanyl.

Drugs that have been laced with other substances, like fentanyl, do not look any different.

In a statement for the Akron Beacon Journal, John Garrity, PhD, the executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County said, “Sadly, this year, we appear to be on the same track, with fentanyl being mixed into other substances such as methamphetamines and cocaine.”

Fentanyl overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in Ohio.

 

However, when people go for urine drug testing, many come back positive for fentanyl, according to experts like Tamera Hunter, CEO at Townhall II and 2002 Kent state grad.

“Ohio really is experiencing an epidemic. We are very high in numbers, so we have to pay attention to this major issue in order to give the most help to people who need it most,” said Hunter.

Over the past year, Townhall II, in Kent, has served more than 900 people impacted by drug addiction and overdose, mental health challenges.

During the 1967-68 school year, Townhall II began as two separate entities on the Kent State campus.

The helpline services were established by a group of students who got together and wanted to help the community. Their mission is to promote the health, wellness, and recovery of individuals and communities through prevention, education, advocacy, intervention, and treatment.

“We have really tried to do what we can to be a provider that can wrap our services all around a person. When you come in the door, everything you need, you can receive here,” Hunter said.

Although there has been an increase in numbers of people impacted by addiction, overdose numbers have been going down over the past six months. Hunter says treatment services are working.

Recovery rates at Townhall II are at 85%. This shows that there is a lot of hope in treatment and that there are really a lot of people out there who will help, listen and be present.

Experts, like Hunter and Garrity, say that even though treatments work, the individual has to make the choice in order to effectively fight the brain disease that addiction is.

Under Gov. Mike DeWine and the leadership of his RecoveryOhio initiative, Ohio has put into action one of the nation’s most comprehensive and aggressive strategies for fighting opioid addiction and preventing overdose deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The state has dedicated millions in resources to expand access to all three forms of FDA-approved Medication Assisted Treatment (methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) in combination with traditional psycho-social counseling.

Organizations that fund treatment centers like Townhall II help gain resources so that services can be offered to those in need.

Karyn Kravetz, associate director at Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, said there is a lot of good that happens at the board, and people need to understand the severity of this drug and overdose epidemic.

Having lost a family member of her own to a drug overdose, Kravetz has a passion for helping others and wants to see change happen.

“There is always hope. Treatment works and there are always people who help. We have to break the stigma around people not wanting to receive treatments due to the way people are stereotyped,” Kravetz said.

The Mental Health & Recovery Board funds services for Portage County residents through its network of agencies. Services help families, adults, teens and children with mental illness, depression, addictions, in crisis and at risk for suicide.

In 2007, unintentional drug poisoning became the leading cause of injury death in Ohio, surpassing motor vehicle crashes for the first time on record. This trend has continued through 2020, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

2020 surpassed 2017 as the highest year for unintentional drug overdose deaths in Ohio, with 5,017 deaths. This was a 3% increase over 2017 and a 25% increase over 2019.

Fentanyl was involved in 81% of overdose deaths in 2020, often in combination with other drugs. That percentage was up from 76% in 2019, 73% in 2018, and 71% in 2017.

Fentanyl was involved in 83% of all heroin-related overdose deaths, 80% of all cocaine-related overdose deaths, and 79% of all psychostimulant/methamphetamine-related overdose deaths. Carfentanil was involved in 161 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2020 compared with 508 and in 2019.

This epidemic, according to experts, has no end in sight.

If you or someone you know is impacted by addiction, follow these resources:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://mha.ohio.gov/about-us/priorities/national-988-suicide-and-crisis-lifeline-launches-in-ohio
• Ohio CareLine: https://mha.ohio.gov/get-help/get-help-now/ohio-careline
• Ohio Crisis Text Line: Text keyword 4HOPE to 741 741 : https://mha.ohio.gov/get-help/get-help-now/crisis-text-line
• Online Treatment Finder: https://findtreatment.gov/