University of Cincinnati and Hamilton County work to lower overdose deaths
Emergency naloxone kits and fentanyl test strip dispensers will be available at opioid overdose hots
A research collaboration between the University of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Office of Addiction Response aimed at reducing opioid overdoses in Cincinnati is moving into its next phase.
The research team has studied data from emergency medical calls, overdose response teams and local coroner records to identify overdose hot spots and determine where overdoses occur most frequently in Cincinnati.
The project is now entering an experimental phase in which 24 randomized overdose hot spots will receive NaloxBoxes — emergency naloxone kits — along with fentanyl test strip dispensers for public use, said Ben Feldmeyer, lead investigator for the study and a professor and researcher in UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services.
Some sites will also include additional need-based interventions, such as educational materials and drug treatment resources, while another 12 hot spots will serve as a control group for the study, Feldmeyer said.
Professor Feldmeyer was recently interviewed by WCPO about his research on opioid addiction.
Professor Feldmeyer and his research team identified opioid hotspots throughout Cincinnati. Select location have a NaloxBox available which has Narcan and strips to test for the presence of Fentanyl. Photo provided.
"The goal is having these boxes in locations where people are having the most overdoses,” Feldmeyer said. “The treatments are in these NaloxBoxes, which you may have seen in restrooms or building lobbies. It is a box that has Narcan cartridges in it. They are available to the public and are free. We have signage that says, ‘Community Narcan: Take as needed.’ We will restock.”
The collaborative study is funded by a $350,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice. Other UC researchers on the study include Sarah Manchak, PhD, professor in the UC School of Criminal Justice and Cory Haberman, PhD, associate professor and director of the UC Institute of Crime Science.
“Meeting people where they are has always been core to Hamilton County’s addiction crisis response,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus. “Collectively, we’ve made tremendous progress in reducing overdose deaths, but there is still more work to do. This partnership uses local data to put lifesaving tools like naloxone where they are needed most and gives us another way to reach people and save lives.”
Feldmeyer said the test strips in the boxes are intended to detect fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. It is often found mixed with other substances, creating a dangerous combination that significantly increases the risk of a fatal overdose.
According to the data, Hamilton County has experienced between about 270 and 500 overdose deaths each year between 2020 and 2024.
“Things have gotten a lot better in Cincinnati, and our overdose numbers have dropped by about half, but that’s not happening everywhere. Cincinnati is doing a good job reducing the overdose crisis,” Feldmeyer said.
“But just last year, we still had 70,000 people nationally die from drug overdoses. It hasn’t gone away, and that is more people than die from homicide each year,” Feldmeyer added. “We still have an extremely serious health crisis right now, but you just don’t hear as much about it. Some of the peak numbers were 100,000 each year, but 70,000 is still far more than it used to be 20 years ago.”
View the interview with Dr. Feldmeyer on WCPO.
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