Information from the Ohio Opiate Summit You NEED to Know

 

 

To improve our lives, we must dedicate ourselves to renewing our base of knowledge and to changing strategies to meet new challenges and problems.  To put it simply, we must resist complacency to become better informed. This is an ongoing process and part of our obligation to be good citizens as we practice lifelong education -- the only lasting legacy we leave to others.

 

We must know our history to improve our future. We in Scioto County know the horrors of the prescription drug and heroin epidemics. We have battled this scourge for many years, and we have seen progress in many areas of the fight, yet we understand so much work is left to be accomplished. To pause, to decrease our efforts, to stop altogether will allow new, strong criminal enterprises to flourish. Make no mistake, evil never takes a holiday.

 

I ask that you improve yourself, the lives of your loved ones and friends, and the lives of complete strangers. Dedicate your efforts to helping educate the ignorant and the weak minded who resist the need to learn -- these people need you to be a strong advocate of sobriety and a leader by positive example. Until we care for all, we can effect little lasting change. Our future depends the actions of all of us. Let's not allow the new headlines to read: "Scioto Destroyed by Opiates -- Too Little Public Action, Too Late."

 

The following information comes from the Ohio Opiate Conference on April 19, 2013. The material is generated by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS). Please read it, think about it, respond to it, and, above all, learn from it. If it speaks to you, join the efforts to erase drug abuse. You will surely improve your beloved homeland and save lives.

Statistics by County for the State of Ohio

As far as the percentage of clients in treatment with an opiate-related diagnosis (heroin and prescription opioid) in 2005 (*MACSIS info), the highest concentrations for opiate admissions were in Scioto (34.4%), Clark (21.1%), and Jackson (20.9%).

 

As far as the percentage of clients in treatment with an opiate-related diagnosis (heroin and prescription opioid) in 2007 (*MACSIS info), the highest concentrations for opiate admissions were in Jackson (31.4%), Scioto (30.8%). and Lawrence (22.7%).

 

As far as the percentage of clients in treatment with an opiate-related diagnosis (heroin and prescription opioid) in 2009 (*MACSIS info), the highest admissions was in Scioto (61.4%), Lawrence (49.5%), and Jackson (35.7%).

 

As far as the percentage of clients in treatment with an opiate-related diagnosis (heroin and prescription opioid) in 2011 (*MACSIS info), the highest concentrations for opiate admissions were in Scioto (70.2%), Lawrence (56.2%), and Athens (41.9%).

As far as the change in per capita prescription analgesic dosage rates from 2010 to 2012, the counties with the largest decrease in per capita rates were Scioto (-19.8%), Lawrence (-15.3%), and Gallia

(-11.0%).

As far as estimated unintentional drug overdose death rates in 2011, the top five counties with the highest estimated unintentional overdose rates were Brown (36.3), Scioto (32.4), Ross (29.8), Jackson (28.9), and Montgomery (27.5).

2011-2012 Changes In the Hardest Hit Counties

• Comparing 2011-2012 data with 2009-2010, the number of pills prescribed in Scioto County went from 9.7 million in 2010 to 7.8 million in 2012 -- a decrease of 19.6% .

• From 2009-12 (10,428,417 doses) the decrease is 25.25%.

• Gallia County doses dropped 10.95% from 2010-12.

• Adams County has seen a 5.3% decrease from 2010-12.

• Jackson County has dropped 8.65% from 2010-12.

*Multi Agency Community Information Systems, April 2013