On Wednesday, two 24-year-old men and a 22-year old woman were found dead in a residence on South Warren Avenue. The deaths are being investigated as apparent accidental overdoses.
Rayshawn Wilson, division manager for Behavioral Health and Addiction Services at Franklin County Public Health, said it's uncommon to have three overdose deaths at once, but not unusual for overdose deaths to happen on Columbus’ west side.
Franklin County's overdose fatality review tracks data on overdose deaths. Wilson said it shows Columbus' west side is a problem area.
"And so there's a lot of efforts in the community and a lot of resources that are being poured out,” Wilson said.
He said that includes naloxone training. Naloxone, sometimes referred to as Narcan, is a medicine that can reverse opioid overdoses.
Wilson said the county also provides peer support.
“Individuals that have actual lived experiences of and who are actively in recovery, that are providing support to individuals who are in recovery,” Wilson said.
Franklin County Public Health stocks three free harm reduction vending machines that have Narcan nasal spray and other resources. Those are located at Jordan's Crossing Resource Center on North Hague Avenue, The P.E.E.R. Center's Whitehall location on North Hamilton Road and the Clinton Township Fire Department on Cleveland Avenue.
Wilson says fentanyl, which is sometimes laced with other drugs like cocaine or opioids, is a major cause of overdoses. It's not clear if that drug was at play in Wednesday's deaths.
Ohio saw a 9% decrease in overdose deaths in 2023 compared to 2022. Franklin County Public Health spokeswoman Kristin Howard says the county has also seen a slight decrease in overdose deaths over the past few years, but she says overdoses remain a concern.
"We do see sort of upticks in certain times of the year,” Howard said. “Around the holiday season last year, we did see a slight uptick."
Wilson and Howard said they’ll continue to track data on overdose deaths and make sure the right resources are getting to the right parts of the community.
