Twenty-Seven Opiate Overdoses in Twenty-Four Hours Shock Columbus, Ohio
Authorities are in shock after 27 opiate overdoses occurred in a 24 hour period, from Tuesday, September 27th, into Wednesday, September 28th.
According to the Columbus Chief of Police, the majority of the overdoses occurred in the same area, leading police to surmise that the outbreak was the result of a single bad batch of heroin.
Officials say that on an average day in the area, they go through roughly eight doses of naloxone, a drug administered to reverse the effects of opiate overdose. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, twenty-seven doses had to be administered, and certain persons had to be administered multiple doses. Two of the people died.
Health officials had issued multiple advisory statements in response to the disturbing development. They have suggested that heroin users do not use alone; they have suggested they take turns using so someone can act in the event of an overdose; they have recommended users simply destroy any existing stock in order to avoid the dangerous batch.
Police have even gone so far as to recommend that members of the public — particularly heroin users — acquire their own naloxone so that they will be prepared to administer more than one dose in the event of an opiate overdose.
In one instance, paramedics responded to a report of an overdose, only to discover that it was the same person they had driven to the hospital only hours before. The individual had been released from the hospital just thirty minutes before the second overdose occurred.
Few who overdosed were arrested or charged with a crime. According to the health department, at this point, their highest priority is simply keeping people alive. The only real safe way to avoid an overdose is to get clean and sober. Tranquil Shores has extensive experience is treating heroin addicts. Our approach is individualized therapy, not one size fits all. With our twice-weekly individual therapy sessions and our 4 to 1 ratio of the therapist to clients, we are uniquely qualified to get to the root of the addiction and provide a safe space for individuals to heal. Call today for yourself or your loved one, a decision that could save and reclaim your life!
*credit: Addiction Now
