CLEVELAND, Ohio - A federal government report has found opioid-related hospitalizations went up dramatically over the past decade, and at a much faster rate for women than men. Local health experts say the study is further proof that issues with prescription painkillers and heroin don't discriminate. Jesse Russell knows the struggle of addiction firsthand. "You [...]
The Unites States of America is facing the worst health care crisis of our nation’s history. Over the past two-year period, more Americans died of opiate addiction than died in the entire Vietnam War. Drug overdoses now cause more deaths than gun violence and car crashes. In fact, accidental opioid overdoses are responsible for more deaths [...]
CLEVELAND - There have been more than 40 drug overdose-related deaths since Memorial Day in Cuyahoga County, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. The 43 total deaths were recorded between May 26 and June 7—a 13-day stretch. The deceased ranged in age between 21 and 67, according to the Medical Examiner's Office data. [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Federal investigators and prosecutors in northern Ohio are seeking to create a new "strike force," a designation that would put more money toward combating the heroin scourge and violent crime in northern Ohio through aggressive law enforcement. The strike force would pool resources from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. If [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said on Tuesday that 13 people died as a result of heroin or fentanyl overdoses during the three-day Memorial day weekend. Of the 13 dead, nine were men and four were women ranging from age 21 to 60. Ten were black and three were white, the medical [...]
Drug overdose deaths reached record levels last year in Cuyahoga County CLEVELAND, Ohio –The prevalence of fentanyl and an increased number of cases involving cocaine resulted in the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office confirming Wednesday a distressing bottom line expected for months: Opioids killed more people in 2016 than any year in the county's history. [...]
AKRON, Ohio - "All Adam wanted was a normal life, free from the chains of addiction." Unfortunately, the 25-year-old from Akron died way too soon. As the nation deals with an opioid epidemic, Adam Bear's family is sharing his story to inform people about the resources available to those who are addicted to drugs. In [...]
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Greater Cleveland Drug Court coordinator Dr. Daryl D. Jackson told a crowd of some 200 people Wednesday about the difference in how American society compares crack-cocaine addiction to heroin and opioid addiction. "When you see individuals who are addicted to crack cocaine, they are often viewed as nasty, gutter, low-level individuals" [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The opioid epidemic that claimed 33,000 lives nationwide in 2015 may actually be worse than thought, says a report by CNN.com. That determination is based on findings by researchers lead by Dr. Victoria Hall, a field officer with the Centers for Disease Control in Minnesota. Earlier this month, officials in Cuyahoga County, [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office is asking county council for additional funds to support a rising caseload driven by a spike in heroin and fentanyl deaths. Cuyahoga County Council members will vote Tuesday on whether to approve a $200,000 transfer from the general fund to the medical examiner's office, which has [...]
