CINCINNATI: Hospital emergency workers in a southwest Ohio county have handled an average of nearly 15 overdoses a day since a powerful drug used to sedate elephants was found in heroin in the area about two months ago.
Hamilton County Commissioner Dennis Deters tells the Cincinnati Enquirer the 1,004 overdoses indicate the area has seen a massive infusion of heroin. The overdose count released to the newspaper Thursday includes emergency room information from July 15 to Sept. 21.
The numbers include 174 overdoses that occurred over a six-day period last month, primarily on Cincinnati’s west side. Overdose runs per day have dropped since then, but continue on a pace far above what they were prior to mid-July.
The count includes possible overdoses and all overdoses — not just opioid-related ones.