Addiction & Family Empowerment Conference, May 4
Join service providers from across Northeast Ohio in the support of strengthening families on their journey with opioids and other addictions on Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. The conference includes: A 12-member panel identifying the obstacles a family is likely to face, Sixteen breakout sessions, Two ground breaking school programs, Mayor's round table reviewing best practices in our local cities, Fifty exhibitors in exhibit hall to help the family with key issues Holiday Inn Conference Center 6001 Old Rockside Road Holiday Inn Cleveland/Independence Independence, OH 44131 Online Registration
Q&A with Community and Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northeast Ohio’s New Fentanyl Epidemic Hits Black Communities the Hardest: While the opioid epidemic seems to have reached a plateau, that may just be masking a new problem. Three years ago, opioid deaths skyrocketed when dealers started cutting heroin with the often-lethal drug fentanyl. City, county, state and federal officials worked together that would develop solutions to stem the use of fentanyl. Just as they were beginning to see progress, the drug found a new form – being laced with cocaine instead. The results are equally deadly and have disproportionately affected black communities. Below, Mike Tobin, Community and Public Affairs [...]
Lorain County opening new harm reduction clinic to help battle the opioid epidemic
Apr 03, 2019 LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Lorain County is facing the drug epidemic head on. People suffering from addiction in the county can get help at a new harm reduction clinic in Wellington, Ohio. Harm reduction strategies have been successful in battling the opioid epidemic throughout 19 counties in Ohio, according to a news release from Wellington police. “We’ve been plagued by the opioid epidemic in Lorain County and have long as a community been embattled by the disease of addiction,” said Dave Covell, Lorain County Health Commissioner. “Opening this clinic in Wellington is a critical step in our [...]
Deaths from cocaine and fentanyl mixtures a growing concern in Northeast Ohio
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cocaine is becoming more prevalent in Cuyahoga County’s drug overdose deaths, and officials say that’s largely because drug dealers are mixing it with the powerful opioid fentanyl. Data from the Cuyahoga County medical examiner’s office shows cocaine was a factor in approximately 45 percent of drug overdose deaths last year, the highest percentage in more than a decade. Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways from cleveland.com’s reporting. The numbers In the five-year period from 2011 to 2015, cocaine was a factor in 30 to 35 percent of Cuyahoga County’s drug overdose deaths. But its [...]
Even in best-case scenario, opioid overdose deaths will keep rising until 2022
February 11, 2019 In the nation’s opioid epidemic, the carnage is far from over. A new projection of opioid overdose death rates suggests that even if there is steady progress in reducing prescription narcotics abuse nationwide, the number of fatal overdoses — which reached 47,600 in 2017 — will rise sharply in the coming years. By 2022, such deaths would peak at about 75,400, and begin to level off afterward, according to the forecast. A display of the fentanyl and meth that was seized by Customs and Border Protection officers over the weekend at the Nogales Port of [...]
Medical Examiner Issues Public Health Warning: Increase in Carfentanil Seized in January
February 7, 2019 CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson, today issued a public health warning , stating the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Laboratory has seen a significant increase of seized carfentanil (powder and tablets) tested over the last month. Carfentnail, a synthetic opioid and large animal sedative, is extremely potent and unsafe for human use. Carfentanil is nearly impossible to detect by sight because it is often mixed with other drugs or disguised as prescription tablets. Left: Carfentanil and Heroin mixture (2017). Middle: Carfentanil and Cocaine mixture (2018). Right: Carfentanil (2017). Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office [...]