Cincinnati

Really powerful article, “Seven Days of the Heroin Epidemic in Cincinnati”

• In one week, 180 people overdosed and 18 people died from opioid use

• Almost 50% of children in the custody of Butler County Children Services were placed there because of parental drug use. Of this 50%, 63% of the drug use was attributed to opioids. (Article here)
• Because there are not enough foster homes in Hamilton County, almost 50% of the children in Hamilton County foster care are placed in a county other than their home one

Ohio

• Ohio’s opioid death rate is the fourth highest in the country
• Ohio has the highest rate of fatal heroin overdoses
• In Ohio, an estimated 23 people die of opioid overuse every week
• 28% of foster children statewide are in custody because their parents use opioids
• Number of children in custody has increased 19%; however, amount of state funding has decreased 17% (from Hamilton County JFS presentation)

Nationwide

• 11.8 million people abuse opioids
• In 2015, drug overdose was the “leading cause of accidental death in the US”; within this cohort, opioid overdose makes up the greatest percentage (from the American Society of Addiction Medicine)
• In 2015:
• 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids
• More than 33,000 people died from using opioids
• Almost 13,000 people died from using heroin