Mahoning County, state see rise in heroin-overdose deaths

YOUNGSTOWN — Unintentional heroin-overdose deaths have been skyrocketing recently, both in Mahoning County and statewide.

Unintentional prescription opioid overdose deaths, however, have declined in the county and statewide from 2011 to 2012, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

ODH did not have figures available for 2013.

Perhaps the most-shocking finding in the ODH report, issued Friday, was that reported heroin-overdose deaths in the county went from just one in 2011 to 23 in 2012.

In Mahoning, no heroin-overdose deaths were reported between 2000 and 2006, and there were none in 2010. There were three in 2007, two in 2008 and 11 in 2009.

Statewide, heroin overdose deaths have risen steadily from 117 in 2006 to 680 in 2012.

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