2 Overdoses Under Investigation In Avon Lake

AVON LAKE, OH — Two overdoses are being investigated in Avon Lake, according to newly released police reports.

On April 10, police were called to a home on Parkwood Avenue for a reported overdose. When officers arrived, they found a man in the throes of an opioid overdose. He was taken to Cleveland Clinic Avon for treatment.

Eight days later, on April 18, 911 callers reported a drug overdose at a home on Fox Chappel Lane. Officers found an overdosing woman in the home, treated her and then had her taken to Cleveland Clinic Avon for evaluation.

Opioid overdose deaths have been spiking across Ohio in 2021, though the surge in new overdoses started in 2020.

During the second quarter of 2020, Ohio's death rate from opioid overdoses jumped to 11.01 per 100,000 people — the highest rate seen in a decade. The previous 10-year high was in the first quarter of 2017, when opioid overdoses effected 10.87 people per 100,000.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost urged Ohioans to seek medical care in the event of an overdose, despite concerns about COVID-19. He also asked Ohioans to be vigilant about how they store prescription medications.

Read more: DEA, Lorain County Sheriffs Want Your Unused Prescriptions

Many opioid addictions begin at home. Yost's office released guidelines for properly storing medications, including:

• Do not share medication
• Track usage of pills to prevent pilfering
• Lock up addictive prescriptions
• Store prescriptions in a high location, to keep them out of reach of children