Summit County Public Health officials are reporting an increase in visits to hospital emergency room for unintended drug overdoses in recent weeks.
On April 29, there were nine reported visits to Summit County hospitals for overdoses — the largest daily total so far this year, said Richard Marountas, chief epidemiologist for SCPH. Before that, the most overdoses treated in area ERs in 2025 was eight on Jan. 18.
In April, there were 87 overdoses reported across Summit County, the largest monthly total so far this year, according to the SCPH database.
More than a third (32) occurred in the final week of the month, Marountas said.
As the temperatures rise, overdoses also typically increase, he said.
“That’s not unheard of at this time of year,” he said. “Warm weather usually seems to come with an increase. Whether or not we sustain these increases only time will tell.”
Cory Kendrick, director of facilities and technology for Summit County Public Health, said the agency has alerted participants of the Summit Safe Syringe Exchange program about the recent increase in overdoses. Summit Safe offers weekly clinics that allows participants the opportunity to receive sterile new syringes in exchange for used ones, and also provides them with overdose prevention education and referrals to social services.
The Summit Safe program “currently uses text messaging to notify clients about schedule changes and general updates. As part of a new initiative, this service is being expanded to help prevent overdose and connect individuals to support,” Kendrick said.
Kendrick said program participants received a reminder about where naloxone, an opioid antidote that can reverse the effects of an overdose, is available.
“We’re going to continue to monitor this situation to see if overdose emergency room visits continue to rise as well as fatalities,” Kendrick said.
If the increase continues, a second message will be sent, noting the continued rise in overdoses. These text messages include links to the 988 Crisis Line, as well as a hotline for immediate treatment connection, Kendrick said.
Summit County Public Health also has reached out to police departments across Summit County to let them know about the recent spike in unintentional overdose cases.
“We’re in the process of gathering information from these departments to determine if they’ve received an increased amount of overdose-related calls,” Kendrick said.
To learn more about Project DAWN, Summit County Public Health’s drug overdose prevention program, visit the website at https://www.scph.org/counseling/project-dawn-narcan.
Vending machines with free, 24/7 access to naloxone also are available across Summit County, including in the Barberton Municipal Building and at Open M Ministry in Akron.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Late April spike in overdose ER visits causes concern for Summit County Public Health
Reporting by Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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