County on track to surpass 2016 OD totals

October 6, 2017

WARREN —The Trumbull County coroner has confirmed 60 people in Trumbull County have died so far this year from an accidental drug overdose, and he suspects 50 more deaths he investigated are from the same cause, according to statistics released Thursday. Coroner Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk ruled 60 people died between Jan. 1 and July 22 from acute fentanyl, heroin, carfentanil, cocaine and mixtures of numerous drugs. Fifty other deaths since July are suspected drug overdoses, but their cases are awaiting the results of toxicology screenings and procedural actions. The 110 cases, if all ...

Fighting the heroin crisis together

October 1, 2017

WARREN — Three local reporters — the Tribune Chronicle’s Renee Fox and others from the Mahoning Valley, Jordyn Grzelewski and Lindsay McCoy — have worked aggressively in recent years exposing the death and destruction wrought by the heroin crisis, yet despite their dire warnings in newspapers, on the web and on television, the situation here has worsened dramatically. In Trumbull County, opioid deaths grew at a rate far faster than the state from 2013 to 2015, and Trumbull now is the seventh-worst county in one of the four worst states in the country. Mahoning is only slightly ...

TAKE ACTION: Heroin crisis

September 29, 2017

Need help with addiction? Those who are ready to seek help for an opioid addiction can call the Coleman Access Center any time of day or night for an assessment, screening and program referral at 330-392-1100 or 211. Project Dawn kits A free naloxone kit, an overdose reversal drug, and training on how to administer it can be obtained through the Trumbull County Combined Health District by calling 330-675-2590, option 3.

Task force tracing heroin batch that killed 5

September 27, 2017

WARREN — A two-county drug enforcement task force is working with local police departments and the state’s crime labs in an attempt to identify the people responsible for bringing in a deadly batch of drugs believed to have caused five deaths and countless overdoses last week. “We are working with the departments in the jurisdiction where the overdoses happened, mostly in Warren and Niles. We are getting tips every day and helping them out with intel, providing them the information we have gathered and assisting them in the other ways they need,” said Trumbull County ...

NF police get $50,000 to combat opioid crisis

September 7, 2017

NEWTON FALLS — A $50,000 grant from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office will help the village police department in its effort to combat the increasing threat of opioids. Newton Falls was the only Trumbull County community to receive a portion of $3 million in grants. “We will strategically use these funds to help those seeking assistance in overcoming drug issues as well as leading covert operations aimed at identifying and sending drug dealers to prison,” Newton Falls police Chief Gene Fixler said. “We are proud to say we are one of 19 northern Ohio communities to ...

Limits on opioid prescriptions start

September 1, 2017

WARREN — Doctors and pharmacies are now limited to writing seven-day prescriptions with no refills to adults with non-chronic pain, a time period a local doctor says is plenty for most acute pain situations. The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy enacted the rule changes in response to the growing opioid addiction epidemic that often can begin with a legitimate prescription for opioid drugs, but can evolve into a dependency on cheaper, opioid-based street drugs like heroin, which often comes laced with stronger, synthetic drugs. “Most patients that have acute pain due to trauma, ...