Safe Places

Cincinnati Health Department Efforts to Curb the Addiction Crisis

Linkage to Treatment

Safe Places Cincy

Cincinnati Health Department has partnered with Councilwoman Amy Murray’s office, Interact for Health, BrightView Health, the Center for Addiction Treatment, Talbert House, and Uber Health to provide access points for persons seeking addiction treatment services. Acknowledging that system navigation is challenging in Cincinnati, this effort will help streamline the treatment connection process for those in need, when they decide they need it.

How it works: if you want addiction treatment, go to a Cincinnati Health Department center and ask for it. Once there, a "strike force team" will figure out whether you need hospitalization. If so, they'll get you to the hospital.

If not, they'll connect with one of three partnering addiction centers: Talbert House, Brightview Health or the Center for Addiction Treatment, to secure an appointment.

After that, they'll call Uber Health for a ride to the center if it's open. If not, they'll get you to a safe place to stay. When the treatment site opens, Uber Health will take you there.

Click here to find a list of our health center locations.

Coming Soon: Expansion of Medication Assisted Treatment

With funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the CHD Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) will be implementing the evidence based medication assisted treatment for our patients. This is essential to allow for an ongoing, aftercare phase for patients completing more intensive levels of treatment. Our system will provide an avenue for patients to continue in their recovery while getting access to primary care services.

Harm Reduction

The Exchange Program

Partnership with Hamilton County Public Health on syringe services program. We contribute both staff time and funding to support the exchange program ($80,000 per annual). The syringe exchange currently operates in 4 City locations and will be expanding to a fifth in summer 2019. Other areas participating include Middletown, Clermont County, and Butler County. For current hours and locations click here.

Narcan Distribution Collaborative (NDC)

Hamilton County Public Health operates the NDC. The goal is to flood the community with the opiate overdose reversal drug, Narcan (i.e., naloxone). Our chemical dependency counselor pushes Narcan into high risk areas of our community based on hot spot data we receive from police.

Data Driven Approaches

Data currently shared between City of Cincinnati Fire, Police, and Health:

Heroin/drug activity past 24 hour report;
Hepatitis B and C trends as well as efforts to bolster Hepatitis A immunizations;
Narcan administered by Fire EMS;
911 dispatched calls;
Emergency Department admissions due to overdose;
Syringe exchange statistics (e.g., number of clients, visits, syringes);
Quick Response Team (QRT) updates.
Daily Hamilton County Coroner report.

Case Studies on Overdose Deaths

CHD participates in the Overdose Fatality Review workgroup at Hamilton County Public Health. This review committee examines recent overdose death records to make recommendations on prevention and intervention. Currently, we are also partnering on developing an overdose fatality interview tool to be administered to the relative of the decedent.

Committees and Workgroups

CHD is represented at the following workgroups:

Hamilton County Heroin Coalition	Hamilton County Harm Reduction Committee
Hamilton County Opiate Healthcare Response Committee	Overdose Fatality Review
City of Cincinnati Heroin Collaborative (i.e., CHD, CPD, CFD)	Mercy Addiction Treatment Collaborative