Washington Post: Cities seeing more overdose deaths

Fatalities from drug overdoses are more common in big cities than rural areas for the first time in decades, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

University of Cincinnati assistant professor Diego Cuadros tracked this trend in a new map of prescription drug fatalities in Ohio. The map identified 12 clusters of fatalities in Ohio, most of them in or adjacent to big cities.

Cuadros spoke to The Associated Press about the trends observed in his research.

"Most of the hot spots are in urban areas," he said.

The AP story was published in national news media, including The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, The San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston Chronicle.

“We call this disease mapping. We combine epidemiology with spatial analysis to visualize the epidemic,” Cuadros said.

The research is part of an effort by UC called Together We Cure to bring researchers, educators and health professionals together to address the public health crisis. As part of that effort, Cuadros took part in a panel discussion on the opiate epidemic in Ohio with WKRC-Local 12 this year.

Featured image above: UC assistant professor of geography Diego Cuadros, far left, takes part in a Local 12 news panel investigating the opiate crisis in Ohio. The panelists also included UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning associate dean Claudia Rebola and UC College of Medicine assistant professor Dr. Christine Wilder and professor Theresa Winhusen.