In Cuyahoga County, the stark reality of the opioid crisis is that most drug overdose victims die alone, with no one nearby to help.
A recent study, done in partnership with Case Western Reserve University and Cuyahoga County, highlights the critical need for "targeted harm-reduction strategies" in Northeast Ohio, where the opioid epidemic continues to claim lives at nearly twice the national average.
Those strategies include the distribution of Naloxone (an opioid antagonist that can reverse the effects of an overdose), and increasing the availability of medication-assisted treatment options and fentanyl test strips.
The research, using data from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, examined overdose deaths between 2016 and 2020, focusing on people using drugs when they were alone.
The study revealed that a staggering 75% of overdose victims were using drugs alone, a behavior strongly associated with increased mortality. Key findings indicate that individuals using drugs alone were more likely to be at home and less likely to receive life-saving interventions like naloxone, said Daniel Flannery, the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth Begun Professor and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at CWRU's Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
"Being informed is crucial-knowledge equips you to take action," Flannery said. "It's about reviving someone in need, and if that's not possible, contacting emergency services immediately. The chances of a fatal outcome significantly increase when there's no one around to help."
New policies and community efforts must prioritize reaching individuals at risk of using alone to curb the devastating impact of the opioid crisis, said Vaishali Deo, research associate at the Begun Center and co-principal investigator in the research.
"Our findings underscore the urgent need for innovative harm-reduction strategies aimed at those most vulnerable-those using drugs alone," Deo said. "Interventions must focus on reducing isolation and improving access to emergency medical care to prevent further loss of life."
The research findings were published by the National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine.
Additional insights
- In Cuyahoga County, from 2016 through 2020, there were 2,944 unintentional overdose deaths for those over 18 years old. That's 54 deaths per 100,000 residents. The national average is 28 overdose deaths per 100,000 residents.
