UC study examining overdose hot spots

Criminal justice researchers hope hard data will help save lives

In a WCPO segment, a UC faculty spoke to a research collaboration between the University of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Office of Addiction Response that takes a new approach to help combat the growing overdose crisis in the region.

The researcher team — led by UC —will study data from emergency medical calls, overdose response teams and local coroner records to pinpoint areas or hot spots to determine where in Cincinnati overdoses occur most frequently.

“We can look at where overdoses have been occurring based on where EMS goes, or where police or the quick response team has been called,” criminal justice researcher Ben Feldmeyer told WCPO. “We can look at this over time and see where the hot spots and concentrations of overdoses are.”

According to data, Cincinnati has experienced between 270 to 500 overdose deaths each year since 2020.

The study is funded by a $350,000 National Institute of Justice grant.

Watch the WCPO segment.  

Feature photo at top provided by NIH/Jeff Andersen. 

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