CLEVELAND — The battle against Cuyahoga County's opioid crisis got approved for more funding this week. On Monday, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and Cleveland Department of Public Health got the sign off from Cleveland City Council to accept grant money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fight drug overdose deaths.
The Cleveland Department of Public Health's Commissioner of Health, Equity and Social Justice Lita Wills said the grant will be $76,800 over three years.
"It's really important because we've been seeing such an increase in the number of overdose deaths that are happening within the city of Cleveland and across the county," she said.
Wills said in 2020, 248 people died from a drug overdose in Cleveland, 348 people in 2021 and 334 people in 2022. She said the rate of deaths aren't getting much better, with 261 people having died from an overdose from January through September 2023. They don't have the final number for 2023 yet.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said countywide at least 691 people died of an overdose in 2023, 642 died in 2022, 675 in 2021 and 553 in 2022.
"Primarily, we want to save lives," Kevin Brennan, Cuyahoga County Board of Health communications officer, said of the new grant money. "We want to be able to use things like data and strategies and naloxone and education to help people. Secondarily, we're very happy at the collaboration that we're able to enjoy with the Cleveland Department of Public Health."
Wills told 3News they plan to use the money to fund screenings for substance use disorders, host community presentations and workshops to educate people about addiction resources and provide bystander training to city of Cleveland employees and other organizations on how to use the medication naloxone to quickly reverse an opioid overdose.
"Because when we're dealing with fentanyl, an overdose that can be helped, it has to happen really quickly," Wills said. "So, if the clock is ticking, you may not have enough time to save a life by calling 911. It takes minutes for EMS to arrive on scene, but if you have the very equipment that allows for someone to come out of an overdose on your person and you know how to use it, you can save their life right there."
Wills said they're also coordinating with the MetroHealth System to put naloxone emergency cabinets inside City of Cleveland buildings like City Hall and recreation centers.
"Having the naloxone emergency cabinets, it provides easy access for not only staff members, but community members as well, to get the naloxone out in an emergency, to be able to help save someone," Stephanie Shorts, Project DAWN Program Coordinator the MetroHealth Office of Opioid Safety told 3News. "It also kind of combats the stigma, just being visible out in the community so people know it's there, people having the conversations and talking about it and knowing that it's there. People aren't always willing to talk about substance use or mental health.”
Shorts said they have 200 naloxone emergency cabinets available for any organization that wants one. To request one, one can reach out to MetroHealth or The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County.
In addition to the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County, anyone struggling with substance abuse or wanting to learn more about it can also reach out to the City of Cleveland's Call Center at 311.