Resources in

Ohio

Ohio suffers more than 4,000 overdose deaths every year and has one of the highest overdose death rates in the country. In 2022, 4,915 Ohioans died from unintentional drug overdoses. Overdose deaths in Ohio declined about 6% in 2023 vs. 2022, according to a preliminary estimate by Harm Reduction Ohio.

If you are a person who uses drugs or if you are around people who use drugs, please consider learning how to respond to an opioid overdose and carrying naloxone (intranasal brand name: Narcan). Naloxone is a medication designed to reverse an opioid overdose. Opioids slow down the activity of the central nervous system. This can cause slowed or stopped breathing which may lead to death. Naloxone displaces the opioids from the opioid receptors in the brain which allows the person who is experiencing an opioid overdose to begin breathing normally. We have a helpful FAQ and are constantly updating it with questions from our site visitors. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, let us know.

GET NALOXONE MAILED TO YOU

Thanks to our partnership with Harm Reduction Ohio in collaboration with Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) program naloxone is available by mail throughout Ohio at no cost. Click below to request naloxone with an option to receive fentanyl test strips as well.

Get Fentanyl Test Strips Mailed to You

Fentanyl test strips are available by mail in Ohio through our partnership with Harm Reduction Ohio in collaboration with Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) program. If you would like naloxone in addition to test strips, please check out nextdistro.org/hro

BECOME NALOXONE Lay DISTIRBUTOR

Interested in providing larger amounts of naloxone or fentanyl test strips in your community? If so, apply to be a volunteer lay distributor of naloxone and other harm reduction supplies. After you complete the form. Harm Reduction Ohio will contact you. This form also may be used for large one-time requests –a specific event, for example – in which you need 12 or more naloxone kits.

PROJECT DAWN

Seeking to obtain naloxone in person locally? Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), a program of the Ohio Department of Health, is a network of more than 100 sites in Ohio where naloxone is distributed. Click below to find a Project DAWN program near you.

SYRINGE SERVICE PROGRAMS

Syringe Service Programs provide sterile needles and services to people who inject drugs. These programs, sometimes called “needle exchanges,” reduce the transmission of infections (HIV, Hepatitis C) and provide other services and supplies to improve health. The list of syringe program locations and operating hours was current as of May 2023.

OHIO’S GOOD SAMARITAN LAW

Ohio’s Good Samaritan Law provides legal protection for individuals seeking emergency help for a person who is overdosing. The law is designed to protect the caller and the overdose victim from minor drug possession and paraphernalia charges. The law has limitations. For example, it does not cover all drug-related offenses or people on post-release control. The person who overdosed must get treatment screening and referral within 30 days. For details, click the the button below.

NEVER USE ALONE HOTLINE

Never Use Alone is a safety hotline to protect individuals using substances alone. Operators are available by phone or chat seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The trained volunteers who answer the phones work confidentially to ensure the safety of people using drugs alone. They will call for medical assistance if needed. 

Call: 1-877-696-1996   

BRAVE OVERDOSE DETECTION

Brave Technology Co-Op offers a phone-based app that alerts emergency services if a person does not respond within a set time. Brave also offers technology to support housing managers and service providers who want to detect overdoses that may occur among people they serve.

DRUG CHECKING

The UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab tests street drug samples using GC-MS technology at an accredited and licensed lab. The anonymous, low-cost service, operated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, informs individuals about what is in their drugs. For more detailed information, visit the project’s website.

Family Empowerment

OhioCAN (Change Addiction Now) is a family-led non-profit that embraces, educates, and empowers people who have been impacted by substance use.

Social Support

The Safer Use Society, part of Thrive for Change, offers a supportive community for individuals at any stage of substance use, whether actively using, on medication-assisted treatment or seeking alternatives to 12-step programs. Weekly meetings are hybrid, accessible virtually or in-person in Cleveland Heights.

testing & treatment for HEPATITIS C

Central Outreach Wellness Center provides free Hepatitis C testing and treatment. Central Outreach offers a culturally sensitive, no-judgment approach that focuses on the LGBTQIA, HIV, and Hep C communities. Insurance is not required for testing or care. 

SOAR INITIATIVE

The SOAR Initiative offers overdose surge alerts and user-provided reports of suspected “Bad Batches” of drugs.  It also provides fentanyl test strips at no cost. Visit SOAR Initiative website for details. 

ADDITIONAL LOCAL RESOURCES

Relink.org connects individuals to local services in Ohio focused on addiction recovery, incarceration reentry and basic needs, such as housing, food and mental health support.

HARM REDUCTION OHIO

Harm Reduction Ohio (HRO) is a human rights organization that works to improve the health and welfare of people who use/d drugs and those who love them. HRO provides services (such as naloxone and fentanyl test strip distribution), publishes original research and connects people through social media and conferences.