Unintentional drug overdose deaths are rampant in Cuyahoga County.
Last year, the county reported 635 lives lost due to overdoses. Most of those deaths were caused by drugs that contained fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in tiny quantities.
Now, a local nonprofit has partnered with Mayfield Heights Fire Department to train its firefighter EMTs to educate residents who overdose on how to avoid overdoses, while providing free overdose reversal medications and drug testing supplies.
The goal is to reduce stigma around opioid use and let people know there are resources available to them, said Elisha Starkey, community engagement and response coordinator with Thrive for Change, a local group that advocates for safer practices for drug use.
“By getting the kits from a fire department because they're on the scene first, it's helping people know that it's acceptable to have these kits available, making it more well-known in the community," she said.
Starkey said there are several places to get naloxone kits in the community, but those most at risk often don't seek out naloxone.
“Overdoses are complex and everyone has a unique circumstance surrounding it," she said. "One of the biggest risk factors for someone losing their life to an overdose is that they experience a non-fatal one.”
The trainings and kits are funded through a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that encourages local health departments and public health partners around the country to address clusters of overdose deaths. A similar program is in the works for Cleveland's emergency management services division, according to a county official.
The kits contain naloxone nasal spray, which reverses opioid overdoses, fentanyl testing strips, a CPR face shield, and information on overdose response and local recovery resources.
Fatal overdoses are currently declining in Cuyahoga County. However, Becky Karns, who investigates overdose data for the county Board of Health, said the rate is increasing in the African American community. She said that's tied to more fentanyl being put in stimulants, which is a national trend.
Thrive for Change hopes to expand the program and train more first responders across the county, Starkey said, but Karns noted that's been a challenge so far. Some local communities have faced institutional barriers to getting the program going, including leadership changes, some departments not being able to take on new programs and some resistance to the idea of harm reduction efforts.
People may also get free naloxone through their health departments, local harm reduction groups, from harm reduction vending machines and at some Cuyahoga County public housing locations.
For more information on local resources visit: https://drughelp.care/auth/home
