DRUGS

Ohio's Beat the Stigma campaign, new substance use resource platform come to Stark

The Repository

The U.S., Ohio and Stark County's drug overdose death crisis is continuing to worsen, with 131 lives lost last year to overdoses in the county — more than any other year according to the Stark County Health Department. 

The most recent data for Stark from January 2022, showed an increase in emergency room and urgent care visits for overdose compared to 2021, though the rate for the month was below 2020 levels. 

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With these rates in mind, the Stark County Health Department is joining the Ohio Health Department's "Beat the Stigma" campaign, aimed at correcting misinformation about substance use disorders and addiction.

The $9.75 million initiative does not fund treatment or intervention, but rather focuses on awareness. 

"Overdose is a multi-faceted and multi-variable chronic disease," said Chris Cugini, a communications specialist with the Stark County Health Department. "It is important for our community to understand that."

The Stark Health Department launched its own website at savestark-starkcohealthoh.hub.arcgis.com to show the campaign and to act as a hub of local resources. 

"We would hope as services around the county continue to become more available, we will see a decrease in the rate of overdoses," Cugini said. "There's a common saying in overdose prevention, that connection is the opposite of addiction."

Throughout Stark County, there are several community organizations working to provide resources and treatment to those dealing with substance use disorders. On the Save Stark hub, maps of drug drop-off locations, treatment options and overdose reversal medicine naloxone pickups are available to those who may need them.

Canton City Public Health also runs a needle exchange program to help people access clean syringes to prevent communicable disease that can be spread through needle reuse. 

"This work is vital as we work to lessen the amount of overdoses in our community," Cugini said. "We believe COVID-19 had an adverse impact on the health of our community, including those with substance use disorder."

Sam Zern can be reached at szern@cantonrep.com or 330-580-8322. You can also find her on Twitter at @sam_zern.

Substance use resources

Here is a list of resources for those who need help:

  • Never Use Alone, a volunteer organization that will remain on the line with someone while they are using in case the person becomes unresponsive and needs emergency services: 800-484-3731
  • Stark Opiate Hotline, for connection to services and support: 330-454-4357
  • Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
  • CommQuest services, for education, naloxone kits and more: 330-605-3887