Since 2008, the number of overdose deaths in Ohio has risen by more than 600 percent, according to statewide data.
In 2015, a record 72 people died of unintentional drug overdoses in Clark County. Through November 2016, the county had seen 39 confirmed unintentional overdose deaths, according to Clark County Coroner Dr. Richard Marsh.
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That number was expected to increase after the results of several toxicology reports on additional deaths.
In the first half of 2016, Springfield Regional treated more than 250 overdoses, including 76 in February alone.
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The heroin epidemic also has stretched safety services.
The Springfield Fire/Rescue Division had used 360 doses of Narcan to revive overdose patients just through May — more than all of 2015. Narcan is a drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose.
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Treatment facilities such as McKinley Hall in Springfield have seen an increase of assessments, recording 112 assessments in March alone, a record for the facility. Typically the organization does about 70 to 80 assessments per month.
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