Overdoses in Zanesville

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Drug overdoses are at an all time high and Zanesville had three deaths in three days.

Zanesville Police Department informed Muskingum Behavioral Health’s C.E.O. Steve Carrel that one person died between June 1, 2017 and June 3, 2017. While others may have been reported during that time as overdosing who were successfully revived.

“Not only over dosing and being revived, but the number of deaths from over dose is going up even more than it had before,” Carrel said. “There is some fentanyl laced heroin in the area that’s causing some of the deaths.”

Carrel said another reason behind the overdoses is that people who are at risk of relapsing are trying to take the same amount they did before sobriety and they don’t realize that their tolerance goes down.

“One of the life saving things that people can do is get Naloxone and keep it with them,” Carrel said. “You can go to the pharmacy and get it. They deregulated and the pharmacist will educate you on how to use it.”

Carrel also announced those interested in Naloxone training can go to the next Project Dawn Clinic on June 29, 2017 at 5:30 P.M. located at the Zanesville – Muskingum County Health Department office. People will be trained on identifying overdose, what to do in case of an overdose, and they’ll practice administering Naloxone on a dummy. Following the clinic the Zanesville – Muskingum County Health Department will provide participants with two Naloxone kits.

“We’re finding too is two doses of Naloxone is not making it,” said Carrel. “That’s just the start, the first dose of Naloxone slows down the overdose. The person starts to revive, but there’s so much heroin in the body and they start to go back into an overdose. The second is administered. The hope is by that time first responders have shown up and they’ll continue to administer Naloxone all the way to the emergency room.”

For more information on Project Dawn Clinics call the Zanesville – Muskingum County Health Department at (740) 454-9741 and dial two for nursing.