Portman’s visit was part of a tour of the state to meet with Ohioans in recovery and on the front lines dealing with the epidemic. Locally, Montgomery County caught national attention last month after a series of stories produced by NBC called the county the “most opioid addicted county” in the U.S.
» RELATED: Is Montgomery County the nation’s leader for drug ODs? No one knows
The claim that Montgomery County tops all U.S. counties in overdoses came from a quote from Sheriff Phil Plummer, who said, “Per capita, we’re number one in the nation in overdose deaths.”
A Dayton Daily News analysis of available data shows Montgomery County is certainly among the hardest hit by the opioid crisis, but there is no conclusive data from either 2016 or 2017 to know which county nationally is the per capita leader.
The coroner’s office reports an unofficial count of 385 deaths as of June 22, compared to 2016’s record of 349 before the first half of the year is up.
“This county is probably one of the worse in the country,” Portman said. “The problem is getting worse and not better.”
He sat in a room with more than a dozen people who shared stories of how heroin and opioid addiction changed their lives. Families of Addicts (FOA) founder Lori Erion, 57, of New Carlisle started the support initiative to reduce the stigma of addiction and to help influence opinion and police on the value of recovery.
» RELATED: Overdose crisis: Montgomery County is the national example for filmmakers and media
The organization hosts weekly meeting where families and people affected by addictions can come for support and more education on the issue. Portman sat with the group, and listened to stories of how they became addicted — many who were first prescribed pain pills after an injury or surgery and switched to heroin or fentanyl.
Billy Brokshmidt, an advocate and team leader for FOA, told Portman that he first started using drugs when he was in the military. For 15 years, he battled addiction and couldn’t get clean. Brokschmidt, now sober, said FOA was the first group that really clicked with him.
“It gave me a perspective I’ve never really had before,” he said. “People were in recovery and they we’re having fun. This was the first one I tried where I was having fun.”
What worked for him at this group? He never felt judged, and was able to share what was working for him in recovery. With Families of Addicts, there wasn’t a wrong way to stay clean, he said.
» RELATED: Kroger, county partner on drug disposal bags to fight opioid overdoses
Portman’s permanent subcommittee on investigations also recently held a hearing on stopping illicit drugs from being shipped in the U.S. During the hearing, he urged Congress to act on his bipartisan legislation called the Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act.
During a stop in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Portman raised his concern about future access to Medicaid for low-income Ohioans, including those using it to receive drug addiction treatment. Portman said he supports a plan that will improve the health care system while fighting the opioid epidemic — one that has ravaged parts of Ohio.
He also said the recent addition of $45 billion in federal funds to combat the opioid crisis was an important step. Millions of dollars have been spent locally to fight the opioid crisis and billions across the state and country, but Republicans and Democrats continue to debate Medicaid’s future role in addressing the opioid crisis.
» RELATED: County surpasses 2016 fatal overdose total before June
The Congressional Budget Office says Medicaid cuts in the Senate Republican health care bill would take a 35 percent bite off the program’s projected spending by 2036.
Portman’s permanent subcommittee on investigations also recently held a hearing on stopping illicit drugs from being shipped in the U.S. During the hearing, he urged Congress to act on his bipartisan legislation called the Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, spoke with addiction specialists and law enforcement officials on Thursday about Medicaid’s role in ending the opioid crisis. He called Medicaid the “most important tool” that Ohio has to fight the current drug crisis.
“When you have a public health crisis like this, you address it with public health dollars, and that’s why Medicaid is so important,” Brown said.
Reporter Katie Wedell contributed to this report.
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