2 Killed By Heroin, Fentanyl In Lakewood In April

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Two Lakewood residents died from fatal heroin/fentanyl overdoses in April, according to a new report from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. Lakewood was one of two Greater Cleveland suburban cities to record more than one heroin/fentanyl overdose death last month, the other being Strongsville.

The two deaths in Lakewood are part of another fatal month in Cuyahoga County that saw at least 41 people die from a fatal overdose of either heroin, fentanyl, or a combination of the two. Another nine cases are waiting the results of toxicology testing and could increase the number of deaths related to the narcotics.

Lakewood also led all suburbs in heroin and fentanyl overdose deaths in January. In 2016, the Lakewood Police and Fire departments responded to 251 overdose calls, and 28 died as a result of heroin overdoses, according to the city.

"It’s a fight that, frankly, I don’t think we’re winning right now," Lakewood Mayor Mike Summers told Patch. "It’s a multifaceted approach that’s in order."

Summers and Lakewood City Council recently passed a resolution declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency in Lakewood. The resolution qualifies the city for additional state and federal funding to bolster the fight against opioid addiction.

"We have applied for a federal bureau of justice grant to do two things. First, peer-based response to someone that has just overdosed. The idea would be that we make contact with them within 24 hours to connect them to sources of rehabilitation. After a near-death experience, they will be in the mindset to recognize they need to make changes," Summers said. "The other piece is the creation of a safe harbor at our Fire Station Number One. Anyone who wants to make changes could show up, effectively turn themselves over to the rehabilitation process."

The city hosted an event last week called Heroin to Hope. Summers said approximately 200 people were in attendance as a panel of 15 experts responded to questions regarding the opiate epidemic. Summers said more community conversations are in the works for the future.

In terms of policing, Summers told Patch the city is employing five undercover narcotics officers to try and break up the spread of drugs on the streets. However, the city's law enforcement is only targeting drug traffickers. Addicts are being directed to the resources they need to start recovery, the mayor said.

"The key focus for us is on the supply chain. We’re going after the sellers. The goal there is to stem the supply," he said. "It’s an uphill fight. We can’t let the supply run amok. As most folks agree on the justice side, we’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem."

The Northeast Ohio Picture

April's 41 confirmed overdose deaths means that 187 Cuyahoga County residents have died from overdosing on heroin, fentanyl, or a combination of the two in 2017. The total of overdose deaths rises to 237 when cocaine overdoses are included. Eleven of the cocaine related deaths in April were from people mixing fentanyl with the cocaine.

The majority of those killed in April by heroin and fentanyl are from Cleveland, with 25 confirmed dead in the city. Sixteen suburban residents were killed by the drugs last month. Here are where the suburban overdose deaths occurred:

• Bedford,
• Brooklyn,
• Euclid,
• Garfield Heights,
• Lakewood (2),
• Newburgh Heights,
• Parma,
• Richmond Heights,
• Shaker Heights,
• Strongsville (2) and
• 3 out of county residents – Kent, Mentor, and Willard.

The majority of the overdose deaths were men, with 31 killed. Additionally, 34 of the 41 killed were white.

In 2016, through the first trimester of the year, there were 140 heroin/fentanyl deaths. That number has jumped to 187 in 2017. Last year, there were 506 total overdose deaths as a result of those two opiates.

The Medical Examiner's office report for April notes that in the past 13 months, there have been 188 more fentanyl related deaths than in the previous 10 years.

The full Medical Examiner's report for the month of April is available by clicking here.

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