BATAVIA, OH – Drug overdose deaths decreased nearly 30 percent in Clermont County in 2022. After a six-year high of 71 drug-related overdose deaths in 2021, there were 50* deaths in Clermont County in 2022, according to the 2022 Overdose Fatality Review published by Clermont County Public Health. (*The data from the coroner’s office is not yet finalized and may change pending further investigations).
The report uses data from the Clermont County Coroner’s Office, autopsy reports, toxicology reports, and other online databases to detect county-wide trends in drug-related deaths.
“We are encouraged to see fewer overdose deaths last year, but the presence of fentanyl in our community is still a top concern,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.
Illicit and highly potent fentanyl was present in 78 percent of the toxicology reports in 2022.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid approximately 100 times more powerful than morphine. Continued trends have shown an increase in fentanyl, often mixed in with other drugs.
Nesbit credits the work of the Clermont County Addiction and Recovery Partnership with helping to reduce the number of deaths in the county. The partnership aims to minimize substance misuse, distribution, addiction, overdose, and deaths in Clermont County.
“Thanks to the partnership, many first responder agencies in the county now carry naloxone and can administer it at the scene of an overdose,” said Nesbit. “Without naloxone, overdose deaths may have been much higher.”
Clermont County Public Health distributed 962 doses of naloxone in 2022. Anyone that wants naloxone can visit naloxone.ohio.gov or call Clermont County Public Health at 513-735-8400.
