WASHINGTON — Powered by a $65.9 million federal research grant Ohio State University will lead a consortium of academic, state and community partners in the state that aims to reduce overdose deaths by 40% over three years.
The funds will pay for Ohio’s role in a $350 million National Institutes of Health study of opioid abuse in four states hit hardest by the deadly epidemic.
The University of Kentucky, Boston Medical Center and New York City’s Columbia University are also participating.
The study announced Thursday aims to cut overdose deaths by 40% over three years in local communities grappling with misuse of the addictive drugs. Researchers will study evidence-based techniques for fighting addiction and overdose, such as medication-based treatments like methadone and criminal justice reforms.
“By applying evidence-based interventions, this initiative will save lives in Ohio communities and serve as a model for communities across the nation,” said lead investigator Dr. Rebecca Jackson, director of Ohio State’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science and associate dean for clinical research in the College of Medicine.
Ohio’s efforts will concentrate on 19 counties, including Franklin, that have been impacted by the crisis.
Government officials across the U.S. have been fighting a multi-decade epidemic of opioid addiction, which includes not only prescription painkillers, but also illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. Deaths linked to those drugs rose to a record 48,000 in 2017.
With 4,293 fatalities that year, Ohio experienced 39.2 opioid-related overdose deaths per 100,000 people, a rate that is second only to West Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Ohio consortium brings together experts from OSU, the University of Cincinnati, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio University, University of Toledo and Wright State University and leaders from state agencies and community organizations.