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.
# # #
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/
# # #
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.
# # #
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/.
# # #
Photo: Jerry Brothers of Williamsburg receives his COVID-19 vaccine from Mary Sacco, RN
BATAVIA, OH – For the sixth year in a row, Clermont County Public Health (CCPH)
has earned the Auditor of State Award. The award is given annually to local governments and school districts after completing a financial audit. To receive the award, agencies must have a clean audit report.
Some of the criteria to meet a clean audit report include:
• Filing financial reports on time
• The audit does not contain any findings of wrongdoing or questioned costs
• The independent audit contains no comments related to ethics referrals
• No public meetings or public records issues
“Our Fiscal Officer, Katrina Stapleton, is a one-person finance department,” said Health Commissioner Julianne Nesbit. “But, we could not do it without the tremendous help we receive from the Clermont County Auditor’s Office.”
Ms. Stapleton has received this honor every year since she’s been the fiscal officer for CCPH. “To earn the award this year, with the extra workload during the COVID pandemic, shows her incredible attention to detail and meticulous record-keeping abilities,” said Nesbit.
Normally, Clermont County Public Health has a staff of about 50 employees with an annual operating budget of about $4 million. In 2019 approximately 40 percent of their revenue came from local licenses and fees and about 30 percent came from state and federal grants.
The COVID response has surged 2020 staffing levels to 86 employees and the budget has increased to nearly $5.9 million. The full audit report can be viewed online at www.ohioauditor.gov.
# # #
Photo: Clermont County Public Health Fiscal Officer Katrina Stapleton holding the Auditor of State Award.
