Lakewood Higher than Other Suburbs in Number of Fatal Fentanyl Overdoses

(Originally posted on Dec. 27, 2016) LAKEWOOD, OH — It's not exactly material for bragging rights. The City of Lakewood doesn't just lead Cuyahoga County in fatal fentanyl overdoses, it had two-and-a-half times more than the county's five other largest cities, ABC5 reported.

From 2006-2015, 15 people died of fentanyl overdoses, according to data from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. So far this year, emergency medical responders have been called out 34 times for heroin or fentanyl related overdoses, Fire Chief Scott Gilman told the TV station. In 2015, there were 58 overdoses, he said.

“It’s an epidemic problem we have now,” Gilman told the TV station. “It takes a lot of resources to respond to it.”

Naloxone can be used reverse the effect of a fentanyl overdose, but because it is a far more potent drug than heroin, it takes about four times as much of the antidote to revive victims, he said.

» For more on this story, go to ABC5.

Photo via Shutterstock