The Final State of the Union
This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.
Summary:
Due to a dramatic increase in the number of heroin overdose deaths in Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Clinic, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio, and a host of other education, prevention, and law enforcement entities are hosting a heroin summit on November 21, 2013 at the Cleveland Clinic.
Due to a dramatic increase in the number of heroin overdose deaths in Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Clinic, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio, and a host of other education, prevention, and law enforcement entities are hosting a heroin summit on November 21, 2013 at the Cleveland Clinic.
Heroin abuse is a public health crisis in Northeast Ohio. In 2007, 40 people died from a heroin overdose in Cuyahoga County (Ohio's largest county). This year, that figure is expected to exceed 200. For comparison, in Greater Cleveland, twice as many people will die from a heroin overdose than be the victims of a homicide.
“Greater Cleveland’s leading institutions are coming together to find solutions to this public health crisis,” said Steven Dettelbach, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District. “The fight against heroin is not just about arrests. It is also about prevention and treatment.”
The daylong event will feature speakers at the forefront of dealing with the heroin epidemic, as well as panel discussions and breakout sessions.
"We have to speak out loudly and frequently about this emerging public health crisis," Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald said. "We are in the middle of something that is very alarming."
By outlining the scope of the problem and discussing the relevant issues, the heroin summit hopes to create a community action plan that will begin to turn the tide in the region's battle with heroin abuse.
