Ohio Overdose Awareness Day: State ranks 6th in US for opioid-related OD deaths

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Aug. 31 marks the 3rd annual Ohio Overdose Awareness day, and University Hospitals is hoping that a program they made can help the people in the community prevent becoming a statistic.

As of June 2023, there are 167 Project D.A.W.N. programs registered in Ohio.

“I feel like there is definitely work that needs to be done to help to mitigate the opioid epidemic, and project DAWN is a great way to do that,” Dr. Kiran Faryar, Medical Director of Project DAWN at University Hospitals, said.

Faryar has been a part of the D.A.W.N. project for two years now.

“I love being a part of it in terms of finding a solution to this problem. You know, working as an emergency physician, we see overdoses in the emergency department all the time,” Dr. Faryar said.

One of the ways the D.A.W.N. project has helped within the community, is by distributing Naloxone kits.

“That’s why I’m really passionate about it, because it’s a way to help patients and their families and the community that you live in, that you serve.”

Naloxone kits are now available at 14 U.H. locations, including inpatient units, emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and pharmacies.

“What we’re also seeing is a reduction in the stigma related to this,” Dr. Faryar said. “We have seen, in years past, we saw a lot of stigma related to opioid use and overdose. But I think studies have shown and polls have shown that most people or a lot of people are affected by this in some way, shape, or form.”

Starting next week, the Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan will be sold over-the-counter at certain pharmacies.

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