There were 5,137 overdose deaths in Ohio in 2022, 55.5% of which had at least one potential opportunity for intervention.
Harm reduction is a strategy aimed at reducing the consequences of certain behaviors, such as illicit drug use. By increasing the number of intervention opportunities, the goal is to decrease the number of unintentional overdose deaths.
Drug Harm Reduction Programs
Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone), a drug overdose prevention and education project, has 182 programs registered in Ohio, including in Summit County.
Summit County Public Health provides harm reduction services through its Summit Safe program. Clinics are held weekly, and visitors can receive sterile syringes and supplies as well as naloxone, a nasal spray medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.
Summit Safe also provides referral to treatment when requested.
Summit County Public Health clinics:
Fairway Center
1867 W. Market Street
Akron, OH 44313
Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1400 S. Arlington Street #28
Akron, OH 44306
Mondays from noon to 3 p.m.
Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Read more: ‘Tranq’ on the rise in Ohio amid increasing concern
Syringe exchange
Clean syringes help reduce the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases.
To dispose of syringes, it is recommended to store them in a hard or metal container, away from children and pets, and bring them to the next Summit Safe clinic to exchange.
Overdose prevention
Naloxone
It is often distributed in nasal spray form but also comes in autoinjector and injectable form.
Summit County residents can receive naloxone free through an online mail order form.
After filling out the mailing form, there is an informational training video to watch; the video gives more details on the opioid epidemic and provides instruction on how to administer naloxone.
Narcan, the brand name version of naloxone, is also available over the counter in pharmacies.
The free mail order form also provides the option to receive fentanyl testing strips. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is mixed with other street drugs – as little as two milligrams is considered lethal. In 2021, fentanyl was involved in 80% of Ohio’s unintentional drug overdoses.
Although naloxone does not prevent an overdose related to xylazine, it is important to administer naloxone in a potential overdose situation because the naloxone could reverse the effects of opioids mixed with the xylazine.
The effects of naloxone only last 30 to 90 minutes, and the effects of opiates last far longer, so an individual could experience an overdose state again. This makes it crucial to call an ambulance or take an individual to a hospital.
In Ohio, the Good Samaritan Law grants immunity for people providing assistance in medical emergencies, even when illicit drugs are involved. The law protects people from arrest or prosecution for minor drug possession or drug paraphernalia offenses – for both the person who overdosed and the person who called 911 to seek help.
Other local resources:
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline (Available 24/7)
Call 988
ADM Crisis Center (Available 24/7)
Call 330-996-7730
Narcotics Anonymous
1-888-438-4673
