About 20 members of Hamilton County’s Addiction Response Coalition gathered at the receiving center of Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services Wednesday to mark the lowest number of overdoses in the county since 2012.
“When you call it success, it feels very guarded because we’re still losing people in this community to addiction,” said Commissioner Denise Driehaus, who serves as chair of the coalition. “But we have seen a significant reduction in overdose deaths, and that’s one of the only ways we can measure how we are doing in the community.”
A decade ago, Cincinnati was at the epicenter of carfentanil, a synthetic opioid originally developed for veterinary use — specifically to tranquilize large animals such as elephants — according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“Hamilton County had the unfortunate history of being one of the first areas in the United States to have carfentanil,” said Newtown Police Chief Tom Synan, “Hundreds overdosed in that one week, and we became the world’s epicenter, showing how the drug supply and addiction could be so devastating that it caught us — and the country — off guard.”
Over the past four years, the county has seen a decline.
In 2025, the county coroner’s office reported 194 overdose deaths, a 66% reduction from the peak when the coalition was first organizing, Driehaus said.
In 2017, 570 overdose deaths marked the highest total in the past 14 years, according to data presented at the event.
The coalition is built on four pillars, which it uses to address drug deaths: prevention, treatment, interdiction and public health.
Abby Fritsch, grants and strategic initiatives manager for the Office of Addiction Response, spoke about prevention efforts focused on youth.
She highlighted a survey given to students that collected more than 24,000 anonymous responses. The results provide a comprehensive look at self-reported drug use among area youth in 2025 and 2026. The survey was administered from September through December.
“Alcohol has replaced vaping as the No. 1 substance for youth currently, and use of all substances, including alcohol, marijuana and vaping, is down compared to previous responses, which is good news,” she said. “In addition, rates of stress, depression and anxiety are also down among students, so we are working with positive trends right now in the prevention field.”
Josh Arnold, president and CEO of the Talbert House, spoke on behalf of the treatment pillar, noting that substance abuse services rely on a mixture of local, state and federal funding.
“While that creates uncertainty, it also challenges us to be strategic, collaborative and intentional in how we preserve and expand access to care,” he said. “The treatment pillar’s priority is clear: protect and strengthen access to treatment and recovery support for individuals and families affected by addiction.”
Synan added that law enforcement plays a critical role in understanding the drug supply, reviewing unsolved overdose cases and removing supply to close gaps.
Greg Kesterman, health commissioner for Hamilton County Public Health, outlined three initiatives led by his organization. One program, the drug-checking program, is designed to stay ahead of trends in the local drug supply.
“We have been able to capture more data about the substances moving in and out of our region. Through this work, we’ve spotted emerging threats, including a recent influx of xylazine and medetomidine, both of which can have serious health effects, including death,” Kesterman said.
Looking ahead, Kesterman said his organization aims to implement on-the-spot drug checking to provide immediate results and data.
“Overdose reduction isn’t the work of any one agency; it’s the work of all of us collectively, and when we show up together, our community is stronger for it,” Kesterman said.
Driehaus said she is proud of the results and grateful for the coalition partners dedicated to the effort.
“As you can see, we are saving lives and giving people hope in Hamilton County,” she said.