Drug overdose deaths rose in Erie County in 2016

SANDUSKY -- Erie County had a record number of drug overdose deaths last year caused by heroin, fentanyl, and other dangerous drugs, according to numbers released last week by Erie County coroner Dr. Brian Baxter.The county had 34 confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2016, compared to 26 drug-related overdose deaths in 2015.That's already a record, but the 2016 drug overdose figures will continue to grow over the next few weeks, as laboratory results come back and additional suspected overdoses are confirmed. There are 14 deaths in 2016 that are suspected of being drug overdoses but are not yet confirmed, said Connie Dibari, Baxter's administrative assistant.So far, it appears that 2017 will bring little relief. As Baxter discussed the 2016 cases during a telephone interview Friday at his office, he explained that he was busy working on three new suspected drug overdose deaths. A couple in their forties died in Castalia, and a young man, age 21, died in the emergency room of a local hospital, he said.Most of the 14 suspected cases should be resolved by the end of February, Baxter said.State statistics for drug deaths in Ohio in 2016 are not expected for months. Last August, the state health department reported that during 2015, unintentional drug overdose deaths hit 1,155, a new record.The state's increase in 2015 was blamed on a rise in the use of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic narcotic, and the use of fentanyl and similar drugs such as carfentanil appears to be driving the increase in local drug overdose deaths, Baxter said."That's the one that's just dropping them dead," Baxter said.In many cases, tests showed multiple drugs in the bodies of the OD victims. There were 15 cases that involved the use of opiates, 10 involving fentanyl or similar drugs and 10 involving cocaine, Dibari said.Pete Schade, Erie County's health commissioner, said his own estimate of drug related deaths in Erie County actually had been higher."I don't know if we know how many Erie County residents died in Cleveland and Toledo, and places than other than here at home. We need to get that data," he said.The health department is building a detox center to wean addicts off of drugs and is searching for a location in Erie County to provide inpatient drug treatment.Joey Supina, executive director of Sandusky Artisans Recovery Community Center in downtown Sandusky, said the increase in overdose deaths isn't a surprise."It really was unfortunately expected by those who work in our facility," he said. "It's a very sad thing."Supina cited the rise in the use of fentanyl and carfentanil as a reason for the increase in deaths.Supina said he also is concerned that people still do not respect how dangerous opiate pain pills are.He said that when he attended a conference in Ohio this week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich also spoke. Kasich said that when his wisdom teeth were taken out years ago, his "prescriptions" for pain were jello and ice cream.Supina said he could relate. When Supina's tonsils were taken out when he was young, he was told to use "a couple of aspirins and some salt water," he said."Sometimes we may need to endure pain a little more effectively," he said.Baxter said that ten years ago, doctors attending conferences were told not to ignore pain and to be more aggressive about using pain medications.Now, doctors are encouraged to be more conservative and try to figure out who has a need for such medication, he said.At the same time, Baxter said, some patients do experience extreme pain and can benefit from pain pills. He said he knows doctors who had experienced bad pain themselves, and it changed their attitudes toward patients dealing with pain, he said."When you're in pain, it's bad," he said.Patients must remember to only use strong pain pills when they are experiencing severe pain, he said, and to stop when they don't really need the pills anymore."It comes down to personal responsibility," he said.Supina said activism to address drug abuse remains important. He said the stigma of receiving treatment for addiction must be done away with, and the problem must be seen as a mental health issue.Baxter said he has wondered if a lack of jobs is part of the problem, with people having too much idle time because they aren't going to work.Law enforcement has a role to play, too, he said."We can spend tons of money on rehab, but we have to shut the supply down, too," he said.He said he doesn't have any easy answers for why the problem has been getting worse."I don't know what to do. I don't think anybody knows what to do," he said.FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2016, file photo, released by the East Liverpool Police Department, a young child sits in a vehicle behind his grandmother, Rhonda Pasek and her boyfriend, James Acord, both of whom are unconscious from a drug overdose, in East Liverpool, Ohio. A judge has given relatives custody of the boy. The East Liverpool Review reports no one contested the granting of custody to the boyâ€™s great aunt and uncle during a hearing Monday, Dec. 19 in Columbiana County. (East Liverpool Police Department via AP, File)Joey Supina and his wife, Mary, from Sandusky Artisans Recovery Community Center, are amongst dozens that attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new detox center at the Erie County Health Department in Sandusky on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016.