It appears that the success made in decreasing the number of overdoses due to the opioid crisis in 2017 has been lost.
The Center for Disease Control reports that the number of overdose deaths in Ohio has increased by 23% from 2019 to 2020. That erases the 23% decline in 2017. Local addiction service officials say the numbers for 2021 are already looking to surpass 2020 numbers in overdose deaths. They believe the pandemic may be a cause for the increase as people struggling with addiction may have lost their support system.
Executive Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board Tammie Colon explains, “Part of the reason that we’ve had a lot of people relapse is their inability to get to their treatment. They were in isolation; people weren’t checking on them. Their points of accountability weren’t available to them. We all get busy just trying to survive it (the pandemic). We forget to reach out to the person who was more vulnerable to relapse to the result of the pandemic.”
Colon says we need to reach out and check on friends and family that need our support. If you find yourself in need of help with your addiction you can go to their 24-hour crisis center at 799 South Main Street here in Lima.
