According to data from the Union County Health Department, more county residents have died of overdoses this year than over the same time period in the past six years. Ten Union County residents have died through Aug. 31 this year as a result of drug overdoses. (Graphic submitted)
The Union County Health Department is working to fight the impact of the opioid epidemic, as the area has already seen more fatal overdoses in 2021 than recent years.
In Union County, 10 county residents have died of overdoses while law enforcement agencies responded to 31 non-fatal overdoses through August, according to UCHD Health Educator Lindsay Fetherolf.
“We’re way above what we would expect to experience for fatalities and overdoses,” she said during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.
Fetherolf shared details surrounding the effort to combat the rising numbers, laid out in the drug overdose prevention community response plan (CRP).
The CRP is a function of the local drug overdose prevention coalition, which includes members from the health department, law enforcement and EMS, courts, Memorial Hospital, the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Union County, Wings Support and Recovery and Maryhaven, among others.
The plan includes each agency’s role in the county-wide response to drug overdoses.
Fetherolf said the health department monitors and verifies data, and coordinates the distribution of Narcan, an opioid reversal medication.
Director of Health Promotion and Planning Shawn Sech noted that data surrounding overdoses is a “strange anomaly.” She said many overdoses are unreported, while those that are documented are recorded through various channels.
For instance, while 31 non-fatal overdoses among county residents have been responded to so far this year, there have been 61 OD-related hospital visits. Fetherolf said that number could include out-of-county residents or those who drove themselves to the hospital and did not involve EMS or law enforcement.
In an attempt to paint a clearer picture of overdoses in the county, UCHD uses two tracking systems.
The first, called EpiCenter, requires all hospitals in the state of Ohio to report any overdoses to the system. Then, within 24 hours, local epidemiologists are required to complete an investigation.
Along with it, ODMAP is used to provide nearly real-time data. Every time an EMS run is made in response to an overdose, information is sent to the Union County Coroner’s Office, whose staff updates the system.
Fetherolf said the ODMAP software is especially useful because it can be viewed similarly to a “heat map.”
Due to health privacy laws, Sech said the visualizations from ODMAP cannot be released publicly. However, Fetherolf said Marysville does appear as a “hot spot” within the county simply because of the population density in the city.
Evaluating data from these two systems enables UCHD to determine where the county’s resources should be targeted, Fetherolf said.
She said one of the most valuable resources being implemented are the county’s Quick Response Teams.
The teams essentially have two branches of individuals who respond following overdose events.
The first is a “community paramedicine” program in partnership with the Marysville Division of Fire.
When MFD responds to the scene of an overdose, first responders ask all bystanders if they are in need of Narcan. After the individual who experienced an overdose is treated, MFD will make contact with the individual and offer resources available locally.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office also works with other local law enforcement agencies through a program called UCI CARE (Union County Intervention Community Addiction Response Engagement).
Law enforcement deputies or officers, in “street clothes,” will respond to an individual who overdosed within 48 hours, along with a peer support person from Wings Support and Recovery or Maryhaven. They will offer the person resources and can even transport them to local treatment facilities.
Lt. Jeff Stiers with the Union County Sheriff’s Office said the goal of the program is to divert individuals struggling with addiction from jail and connect them with treatment options.
“The whole idea is, people who are addicted, they don’t need to be sitting in jail, they need help,” he said.
Fetherolf said the county’s strategy to address addiction and overdoses evolves based on current data.
Representatives from the drug overdose prevention coalition meet quarterly to complete fatality reviews of each overdose in the county.
She noted that toxicology reports are only available for fatal overdoses. Recent deaths among county residents are split “about 50/50” between fentanyl and prescription drug related overdoses, Fetherolf said.
The coalition is currently reviewing the CRP to make necessary adjustments. Fetherolf said she anticipates a focus on bolstering Quick Response Teams.
Individuals struggling with substance use or family members interested in the UCI CARE program should contact Stiers at (937) 645-4126.
Maryhaven, located at 15 S. Plum Street, also offers walk-in crisis services during business hours or can be reached at (937) 644-9192. Wings Support and Recovery is located at 729 S. Walnut Street. Those interested in more information about peer support and treatment options should call (937) 642-9555.