Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects have rippled throughout the community, and not just people who have been diagnosed with the virus. Increasing feelings of isolation preceded an increase in overdoses and suicides. Data released by the Franklin County Coroner in 2021 showed a 45 percent increase in overdose deaths between 2019 and 2020.
Franklin County coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz called it “an epidemic within the pandemic.”
While that data may seem disconnected from the Tri-Village community, it’s becoming increasingly localized. Even here, where it can be hard for citizens to relate to a drug crisis, overdoses are still a problem.
“We’re a community like any other part of Columbus,” says Grandview Heights police officer Scott Bruney. “A lot of the drug abuse problems we have aren’t as out in the open. … Ours are behind closed doors.”
Bruney says the problem has changed in his 24 years on the force. In the past, overdose concerns tended to center on crack. While still dangerous, crack overdoses pale in comparison to the lethality of street drugs that have become more common in recent years. Abuse of pills has increased and, when those aren’t available, cheaper and more dangerous street drugs such as fentanyl too often fill in the gaps, Bruney says.
In 2020, Ortiz reported that fentanyl-related overdoses accounted for 87 percent of Franklin County’s overdose deaths.
“The nature of the overdose is different,” Bruney says. “If they overdose now, you have to worry about fatalities.”
In May 2021, Larson Middle School teacher Carl Acton received the first ever Start Talking Grandview Prevention Advocate Award. Photographed from left: Superintendent Andy Culp; Acton; STG 2021 college scholarship recipient Lindsey Bertani; Allison Gessner Rooney; Megan Hatta; and Larson Middle School Principal Dr. Quint Gage.
That shift has made drug abuse an unavoidable reality in communities across America. The same rings true in the Tri-Village area.
“It’s imperative that we get the information to our community members and not let people believe that it would never happen in Upper Arlington,” says Kim Ayars, secretary of The Stand Project. “A lot of parents are in denial that their own kids could be involved. We just feel like a lot of parents, and kids themselves, don’t really think through the full spectrum of consequences for using.”
The Stand Project is a coalition aimed at preventing substance abuse and assisting families who need help. The group provides resources and programming aimed at raising awareness in the community.
A similar organization, Start Talking Grandview, aims to foster an open dialog on the use and abuse of drugs. That program dates back to Gov. John Kasich’s time in office when the opioid crisis was reaching a fever pitch.
“During his term, he had launched the Start Talking toolkit and campaign with the idea based on the data that children of parents that speak to them about substance abuse are 50 percent less likely to use,” says Start Talking founder Megan Hatta. “That was the idea, to engage and initiate meaningful conversations.”
Bruney says organizations such as Start Talking and The Stand Project are part of changing the conversation. In addition to looking at new ways of preventing drug abuse, communities are considering how they can better treat the root of the problem.
“Overall, I think you see a shift where it used to be try to lock the problem up,” he says. “I think you’re seeing a little bit of a push toward programs and treatment to try and solve the problem rather than always lock them up.”
A large part of that move has been an attempt to break down stigmas. An Ohio Opioid Education Alliance campaign warned parents, “Don’t Live in Denial, OH,” stressing that substance abuse can start young and happen anywhere. A new campaign, unveiled in November, encourages Ohioans to “beat the stigma” through video of a mock game show.
“It’s almost to the point where it’s a normalized conversation around this is a sickness,” Hatta says. “Reducing stigma starts with conversations and educated conversations. There’s a strong overlap between mental health and substance abuse disorders. By reducing stigma we’re going to get more people talking about substance abuse.”
Hatta says that, in addition to stigma, some parents may not feel as comfortable discussing fentanyl, vaping and other substances that are newer. By providing informational programming and resources, Start Talking aims to educate parents to have informed and relevant conversations.
Veronica Armstrong, a junior at Upper Arlington High School and a student member of The Stand Project, says that the group is important for educating students.
“I think it’s important because we haven’t lived through life and had these experiences,” she says. “If we don’t learn things now, we might not learn them later in life and we can make these bad choices.”
Armstrong also points out events The Stand Project has hosted, such as movie nights after football games, that help to give students another outlet and a place to go. She says that joining clubs or participating in extracurriculars are important ways for students to find a supportive community that can help to avoid substance abuse and mental health problems.
The interplay between mental health and substance abuse, as well as other issues, is becoming a larger part of the conversation as well.
Bruney points out homelessness as another factor. Ayars says that, during the pandemic, The Stand Project shifted its focus toward mental health needs due to social isolation.
The goal, Hatta says, is to make everyone more aware of how these factors can lead to substance abuse issues so all can be better prepared to prevent potential problems and address issues if they arise.
“Let’s just educate,” Hatta says. “Drugs happen in Grandview. Overdoses and deaths happen. We can’t talk about them or fix a problem if we’re not aware of it.”
Resources
Bruney recommends consulting the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County for finding health care providers and other information. Learn more at www.adamhfranklin.org.
A searchable database at www.findtreatment.gov can also help to find state-licensed treatment providers.
More local information can be found at www.starttalkinggrandview.org and www.thestandprojectua.org.
Adults in immediate crisis should call (614) 276-2273 and youth 17 and under should call (614) 722-1800.
Cameron Carr is the associate editor. Feedback welcome at ccarr@cityscenemediagroup.com.
