ELYRIA — Drug overdoses aren’t diminishing, and the heroin epidemic is something the community cannot arrest its way out of.
Presenters at a sparsely attended community forum Wednesday at the Elyria High School Performing Arts Center reiterated that substance abuse is a medical issue and not a criminal act.
The county is on track to see more than 100 heroin-related overdose deaths this year, and medical professionals said the number of overdoses they see daily is staggering.
Adam Yandell, a LifeCare paramedic crew chief, said he sees the effects of heroin and fentanyl on a daily basis, and crews respond to anywhere from two to five overdoses every shift. Yandell said heroin is being cut with more powerful drugs like fentanyl, which makes it harder to combat overdoses with life-saving drugs like Narcan.
Heroin also is being cut with insulin, Yandell said, so that users will experience a drop in blood sugar and a better high.
“It’s getting to the point that no matter what we do, more young people are going to pass away because of this situation,” he said.
For every overdose LifeCare responds to there are numerous people who have overdosed who are pushed out of vehicles into the parking lot of University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center.
Dr. Jim Thoburn, assistant medical director of the UH Elyria Medical Center’s emergency department, said people are routinely left outside the emergency room because people don’t want to get in trouble for their part in the overdose.
Thoburn said he’s seen overdoses in everyone from infants to the elderly. The department sees about eight to 10 overdoses a day, ranging from those who are breathing to those who have no heartbeat, he said.
“There is no age discrimination on this,” he said. “There’s no socioeconomic bound for this problem. It crosses professionals to indigents and every walk of life.”
Lorain County sheriff’s Detective Gregg Mehling said while the issue of substance abuse is a medical concern, police still must aggressively get dealers off the street.
He said drug dealers are like dandelions — for every one pulled, another pops up. Heroin and fentanyl come in to the United States from Mexico and China, he said, and as long as there is a demand, dealers will look to profit.
“All these folks are concerned about is taking your money out of your pocket and putting it in theirs,” he said.
Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely said police had been carrying two vials of Narcan to treat overdoses, but in recent months they started carrying four. However, even four isn’t enough to tackle the amount of overdoses police encounter, he said.
Law enforcement and medical professionals said educating the public about substance abuse while treating addiction is the only way to stem the tide.
Steps are being taken, they said, like the creation of a Lorain County drug court and tracking individuals who are doctor-shopping for narcotics.
Melissa Grimes, whose daughter Mandy Moyse died of an overdose in 2012, took the stage to say that families need to talk about and face their problems. Grimes was left to raise her granddaughters, who were on stage with her.
Moyse was prescribed painkillers after an auto accident in 2008, and she spiraled into addiction, which she did a good job of hiding, Grimes said. The family knew something was wrong with Moyse, Grimes said, but they never knew she was using heroin until she died and they saw a toxicology report.
Grimes said her daughter went to her grave with the secret that she was addicted. Addicts and their families should not feel shame, she said, and they should realize they aren’t alone.
“My daughter was a wonderful mom and beautiful, respectful and amazing daughter all her life,” she said. “Heroin took her from us. Opiates took her from us long before she left this Earth.”
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