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Friday, March 29, 2024

Hamilton County officials work to reduce racial disparities in overdoses, access to treatment

Credit: WCPO Cincinnati
Duration: 02:11s 0 shares 1 views

Hamilton County officials work to reduce racial disparities in overdoses, access to treatment
Hamilton County officials work to reduce racial disparities in overdoses, access to treatment

People with substance use disorders are showing doctors how to improve treatment options in an effort to slow overdose rates in minority communities.

PEOPLE BATTLING ADDICTION ARESHOWING DOCTORS HOW TO IMPROVETREATMENT.

IT MAY SOUND MADEUP ... BUT HAMILTON COUNTY ISTRYING SOMETHING CLOSE.AS WCPO9 NEWS REPORTER LARRY SEWARDEXPLAINS... IT'S PART OF ANEW STRATEGY DESIGNED TO SLOWOVERDOSE RATES IN MINORITYCOMMUNITIES.PKGÑ(track)Two years in arow... Ohio's highest drugoverdose rate belongs to Blackmen,and they are mostly menover age 55.(sot/ tc 10:54/rob goeller/ caracole, harmreduction coordinator)"themyth is that black folks don'tinject..."(sot/ tc 11:09/ robgoeller/ caracole, harmreduction coordinator)"i thinkthat a lot of people in myposition are afraid to havethat conversation.

They'reafraid to point out thatelephant in the room and theracial disparity."(track)Butin Hamilton County...(sot/ tc4:38/ denise driehaus/hamilton co commissioner)"we've been concerned for acouple years now."(track)...the trend involves others,too.(sot/ tc 2:40 / dr. o'dellowens/ interact for health,ceo)"...yesterday...therewere..."(sot/ tc 2:44 / dr.o'dell owens/ interact forhealth, ceo)"...four Blacks.44 whites and three Hispanics."(track)Former Hamilton Countycoroner Dr. O'dell Owens stillgets daily updates and seesracial disparities caused bytreatment.(sot/ tc 4:53 / dr.o'dell owens/ interact forhealth)"Blacks have been incrack where there has been nosympathy..."(sot/ tc 5:13/ dr.o'dell owens/ interact forhealth)"Police departmentswere willing to acceptopioids.

If you want to turnaround and turn your opioidsin and not get arrested.

Yeah,they never made that offer forcrack."(track)His wellnessgroup Interact for Healthasked white and Black peopleabout drug use.76 percent ofAfrican Americans polled hadfamily or friends with drugproblems who've never been intreatment.The numbers forwhites are half that.Thiscomes as dealers areincreasingly putting fentanylin all types of recreationaldrugs... and hospitals aregrappling with COVID-19.(sot/tc 9:49:48/ dr. jenny mooney/hamilton co health, assistantcommissioner)"We know we'renot doing something right.

Weknow we're not reaching themto our fullest potential..."(track)Health leaders aremaking new partners.(sot/larry seward)"Overdosedisparities in Latino andBlack communities, mixed withsolutions tailored to oneversion of the problem, isbringing attention here toPrice Hill."(track)Through agroup called Cohear... peoplestruggling with addiction meetwith and help county brassfind better ways to attackaddiction.(sot/ tc 4:12/ daniisaacsohn/ cohear, founder/coo)"of course the everydayexperts who should be at thetable, not just to providefeedback but to share theirideas for what would work asan intervention, should bepeople who either themselvesor their friends or family whohave struggled with thatissue."They're just monthsinto meetings and stillbrainstorming but are hopefulbetter days lie ahead.LarrySeward... WCPO ... Nine News.

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