Cuyahoga County’s Pilot Drug Testing Program Launches New Public Dashboard
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office (CCMEO), in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) and The Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University (The Begun Center), The Centers, and the MetroHealth System launched a new dashboard on the CCMEO’s website. The dashboard shares data collected from a pilot drug testing program initiated in August of last year, where syringes are collected from seven local Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) and then tested at CCMEO for drugs.
Over 300 syringes have been collected since the start of the initiative, and that data is now available via a dashboard. This dashboard visualizes the top 10 major drugs tested in these syringes, perceived substances the participants expected in their syringes, and much more. Understanding trends of drug use among people who participate in SSPs may be valuable in designing lifesaving intervention strategies for Cuyahoga County and improving our understanding of drug use patterns.
While most participants expected heroin and fentanyl to be present in their syringes, our testing showed that fentanyl and xylazine were the most common drugs found.
“We are pleased to collaborate with The Cuyahoga County Board of Health and our program partners on this important work and appreciate the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in making this project possible,” said Dr. Gilson. “Addressing the disconnect between what drugs people think they are using and what they actually do use will save lives. As always, our hope is to use measures like this as a bridge to help those struggling with substance use, until such time as they see the need for recovery and are able to take the steps necessary to achieve that goal.”
The CCBH was awarded the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data to Action (OD2A): Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Action in Localities (OD2A: LOCAL) cooperative agreement, which funds 40 city, county, and territorial health departments (https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/php/od2a/local.html).
This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of Overdose Data to Action: LOCAL (CDC-RFA-CE-23-0003). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.