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Five New Overdose Deaths Makes 18 In One Week

The Franklin County Coroner is reporting five overdose deaths in the past 24 hours. The deaths are on top of at least 13 others in the past week.

Dr. Anahi Ortiz says the five deaths happened on the west and south sides of Columbus.

In a press release Wednesday evening Ortiz repeated her call for the friends and family of those with subtance abuse problems to arm themselves with naloxone, the opiate reversal drug.  The deaths mirror similar spikes around the country.  Fentanyl mixed with cocaine or heroin have been behind the recent wave of overdose deaths.  

Last week Columbus police raided a Hilltop drug house and seized a kilo of fentanyl, four guns and 10-thousand dollars in cash, arresting four people.  Police say the raid on the South Wayne Avenue home was in part a response to the recent spike in overdose deaths in the county.  

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio has seen one of the nation's sharpest increases in overdose deaths.

A native of Chicago, naturalized citizen of Cincinnati and resident of Columbus, Alison attended Earlham College and the Ohio State University. She has equal passion for Midwest history, hockey and Slavic poetry.
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