In Focus
By Cameron Carr
Fighting the Twindemic Programs from cities and schools help prevent drug abuse
Photo courtesy of Start Talking Grandview
A table for Start Talking Grandview 12
Photo courtesy of The Stand Project
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adly, the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects have rippled throughout the community, and not just among 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,
The Stand Project members give a presentation to community leaders, coalition partners and prospective members.
overdose concerns tended to center on doses pale in comparison to the lethality crack. While still dangerous, crack over- 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 fentanylrelated 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.” That shift has made drug abuse an unavoidable reality in communities across America. The same rings true in the TriVillage 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 January/February 2022 • www.trivillagemagazine.com
