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.
July 28, 2022
The monthly Clermont County Board of Health meeting will take place on Thursday, August 18, 2022, instead of the regularly scheduled August 10. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Permit Central Building at 2275 Bauer Road, Batavia, OH 45103.
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Nov. 5, 2021
BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County Public Health is holding COVID-19 childhood vaccine clinics at local schools. Each clinic will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is authorized for children five and older.
The dates for each of the vaccine clinics administered by CCPH are:
A second vaccine clinic will be held at each site 21 days after the first dose to complete the series.
Parents can schedule appointments at these school clinics by using the ArmorVax app or by calling 513-735-8500. Parents or guardians must accompany their children.
“All of our schools have been wonderful partners throughout this pandemic, and we are thankful that they are giving us space to use for each of these clinics,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “We’re eager to see many of our youngest schoolchildren finally able to get vaccinated.”
Parents can also schedule appointments at Public Health’s offices using ArmorVax, or check with their child’s pediatrician to see if they’re offering the vaccine.
For a complete list of COVID-19 vaccine providers in Clermont County, visit www.ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/
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October 5, 2021
Following the recent recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control, Clermont County Public Health is now offering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The following populations are eligible to receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine:
Only people that received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may get a booster. A person must wait at least six months after the second dose of the vaccine before getting a booster shot. You do not need to return to the same provider where you received your first two doses. But, you must bring your COVID-19 vaccination card with you.
“We have many more vaccine providers now than we did in the spring, so we encourage everyone to visit our website to find the provider that is most convenient for them,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.
All COVID-19 vaccine providers in Clermont County are on Clermont County Public Health’s website at https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/
Clermont County Public Health is offering vaccine appointments at its office Tuesdays – Fridays. You can make an appointment with the ArmorVax mobile app or online at www.ArmorVax.com. Anyone needing help scheduling an appointment may call the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency at 513-735-8500.
For more information on COVID-19 booster doses, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s website at https://bit.ly/BoosterFAQ
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July 12, 2021
A recreational public health advisory has been issued for Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park due to a harmful algal bloom (HAB). The bloom is caused by a type of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria.
The blue-green algae are capable of producing toxins known as microcystin. A recreational advisory is issued if the toxins reach a level between above six parts per billion.
Under a recreational public health advisory, swimming and wading are not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women and people with existing medical conditions.
People with pets are also advised to avoid pet contact with the water. If they get in the water during an algae bloom, they can ingest the toxins when they lick their fur.
HABs can produce toxic chemicals which may make people and pets sick depending upon the amount and type of exposure. This is especially true for the very young, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Types of exposure include swallowing HABs-contaminated water, skin contact, and inhaling aerosolized water droplets. HABs toxins can cause a rash, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and more severe symptoms at higher levels of exposure.
Avoid water that:
For the latest sampling results, visit the Ohio Beachguard website.
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May 6, 2021
BATAVIA – Clermont County Public Health is partnering with two local businesses to provide the COVID-19 vaccine. RJ Cinema Distillery and Taproom in Union Township and the Little Miami Brewing Company in Milford will each host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The dates for the vaccine clinics are:
“We’ve seen a decline in numbers at our mass vaccination site, so we’re going to where the people are,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “We’re hoping we can reach people who want the vaccine if it’s more convenient for them.”
CCPH had been vaccinating as many as 750 people per day at its site on the campus of UC Clermont College. In recent weeks, the demand has decreased, leaving many appointments unfilled.
“We hope this will be a good start to our next phase in the vaccination campaign,” said Nesbit. “We’re shifting our focus from one large-scale site, to many smaller sites throughout the county.”
As an incentive, Little Miami Brewing Company will be offering a discount to anyone who gets vaccinated at the brewery on May 22.
RJ Cinema will offer free movie passes to anyone who gets vaccinated at their site on May 13.
Appointments for each of the clinics can be found by using the ArmorVax app or by scheduling online at www.armorvax.com, but walk-ins will also be accepted.
CCPH will return to each location three weeks later to give the second dose shots of the Pfizer vaccine.
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BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County Public Health and the University of Cincinnati Clermont College are partnering to open a new COVID-19 vaccination site at the Student Activities Center on the college’s Batavia campus. The vaccination site will open on Saturday, March 13. Appointments must be scheduled. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
The new site will more than double the number of people who can be vaccinated in one day by the health department. Public Health has been vaccinating up to 300 people per day to date; the new site will accommodate 600 or more people per day.
The quantity of the vaccine that Public Health receives weekly has increased from about 200 doses during the first week of February to more than 1,200 doses during the first week of March.
“We’re looking forward to working with UC Clermont to get more of our residents vaccinated,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “Throughout this pandemic, we have relied on many of our community partners along the way, and this latest partnership will benefit the entire county. We’re grateful that UC has stepped up to provide the much-needed space.”
“We are excited to partner with Clermont County Public Health to provide the space for this critical service to the community,” said UC Clermont Dean Jeff Bauer. “The vaccination effort is crucial to guiding us out of the pandemic, and we are proud to be able to help.”
How to register
To register for an appointment, residents can use the new online scheduling site, which can be found at https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/. Anyone without internet access can call 513-735-8500 for assistance with scheduling an appointment.
Currently, any Ohio resident aged 50 or older is eligible to be vaccinated. Other groups that are eligible include people with certain congenital medical conditions, law enforcement officers, childcare workers and funeral services employees. The full list of eligible people can be found online at www.coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine.
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UC Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful wooded acres in Batavia Township. The college is an accredited, open-access institution offering more than 50 programs and degrees. UC Clermont is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-732-5200 or visit www.ucclermont.edu.
Clermont County Public Health is dedicated to the mission of striving to improve Clermont County by preventing disease, promoting health, and protecting the environment. For more information, visit www.ccphohio.org.
Clermont County Public Health and local partners are seeking input from the community to help guide the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP).
The CHIP is a long-term plan used to address public health concerns in a community. The plans are based on the assessment of the needs of a community and feedback from the citizens in that community. Clermont County’s Community Health Assessment can be found here. A summary of the assessment can be found here.
Public Health is asking community members and residents of Clermont County to take a survey and identify 3-4 priority health issues affecting the community. The survey can be found at http://bit.ly/CHIP21. Responses are due by Feb. 25.
“Community Health Improvement Plans are a vital part of public health,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “This plan will help us identify the issues affecting our community and allow us to focus our efforts to help resolve those issues over the next few years.”
Once complete, the CHIP will set specific goals, strategies and activities to improve the priority health issues chosen.
The goal of the improvement plan is to increase awareness of health issues impacting the community and provide education and opportunities to the public to improve their health.
The last improvement plan identified obesity, drug addiction, tobacco use and mental health as the biggest health issues in Clermont County.
Clermont County Public Health hosts vaccine clinic for residents 80 and older
BATAVIA, OH – Clermont County Public Health held a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday, Jan. 21 for residents aged 80 and over. Under Ohio’s vaccination plan, residents aged 80 and older were eligible to be vaccinated beginning Jan. 18.
Jerry Brothers, of Williamsburg, was one of the people vaccinated on Thursday. “I am glad to see the vaccinations are finally happening,” said Brothers. “We have been waiting a long time,” he added. Brothers said his daughter put his name on the waiting list on the Public Health website.
Clermont County residents who fall into phase 1B for vaccinations (65 and older) can be added to the waiting list by visiting Clermont County Public Health’s website at https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/. CCPH is using that waiting list to schedule appointments in their clinic. The waiting list is also used to provide future communications about registering online for the vaccine.
Jerry’s wife Carol answered the call from Clermont County Public Health (CCPH) to schedule his vaccination appointment. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I was so happy and excited for him, I was in tears,” she added.
Adding your name to the waiting list on CCPH’s website doesn’t guarantee an appointment, but it is a way for CCPH to collect information and contact you when your turn comes up. Anyone without access to the internet can call The Clermont County Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 hotline at 513-735-8500 to add their name to the waiting list. The hotline is open from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.
“We wish we could vaccinate all of our residents, but until the supply of vaccine increases, we encourage everyone to be patient while we focus on our most vulnerable residents,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, including other locations where you can get vaccinated, visit https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/.
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Photo: Jerry Brothers of Williamsburg receives his COVID-19 vaccine from Mary Sacco, RN
