BUCYRUS—The local drug overdose fatality review (OFR) team has released its second annual report with a review of the 16 unintentional drug overdose deaths that occurred in 2020 by people that lived in Crawford County.

The purpose of the annual review of drug overdose deaths is to gain a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Data is gathered from the death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, law enforcement reports, obituaries, local news, social media, court records, medical reports, mental health records, and EMS reports. All information is maintained as confidential and is only released in aggregate format.

The local OFR team currently consists of staff from the Crawford County Coroner’s office, Prosecutor’s office, Crawford County Public Health, Sheriff’s office, Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board and Marion-Crawford Prevention Program. The OFR team reviews cases with the goal of using the information to develop recommendations to prevent future drug overdose deaths.

Notable findings from the report include:

  • A total of 140 drug overdoses by Crawford County residents reported to either an emergency room or urgent care center in 2020.
  • Sixteen overdoses resulted in unintentional deaths, 6 males and 10 females.
  • The ages of decedents ranged from 22 to 47 years, with an average age of 34 years.
  • There were at least 20 children under the age of 18 years that lost a parent to drug overdose during 2020.
  • Fentanyl was listed in the toxicology reports for 11 of the 16 fatal overdoses (69%).
  • Home was identified as the most frequent location of death.
  • Fifty percent (50%) of the decedents worked as a laborer in manufacturing. Only one decedent did not have an occupation listed on their death certificate.
  • All decedents had some type of prior involvement with law enforcement.

“Substance use disorder affects everyone. It doesn’t just impact the individual, it affects their families, their friends, their co-workers, and our entire communities,” explains Brad DeCamp, Executive Director of Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board. “It is important to bring everyone together to address this issue. Being a part of the OFR team helps us determine opportunities to bring efforts and actions into the community to fight the opioid epidemic.”

Recommendations the OFR team discussed for the Crawford County community include expanding the distribution of naloxone, seeking an avenue for distributing fentanyl test strips, expanding substance use disorder services available locally within Crawford County, expanding school-based prevention programs, increasing community education efforts on recognizing the signs of drug misuse to help friends/family engage in conversations with those that misuse drugs and reducing stigma towards getting treatment.

“When we look at public health harm reduction programs, it is important to remember that a key strategy is to meet people “where they’re at” and understand that making any kind of behavior change is a long-term goal and certainly not something we can fix overnight,” stated Kate Siefert, Crawford County Health Commissioner and OFR Chair. “Many people want to resist the distribution of naloxone

and fentanyl test strips because they feel it is enabling people to continue misusing drugs. The reality is that it may take 5, 10, 20 or even more interactions with these individuals before they are ready to make a change. Distributing these items by people trained in substance use disorder treatment provides opportunities to interact and develop a trusted relationship. When they are ready, they will already know who they can turn to for help. Having naloxone at home (where most overdose deaths occur) and ensuring family members are trained on how to use it helps us keep people alive until they are ready for treatment.”

The complete report can be viewed/downloaded from the Crawford County Public Health website.