Volunteers, clinicians urge Cincinnati to boost harm reduction as overdose deaths rise among Black residents

Speakers from the volunteer A1 Stigma Free Coalition told the Cincinnati Healthy Neighborhoods Committee that overdose deaths are climbing in the city’s Black neighborhoods and urged the city to support community-based harm reduction and prevention work.

The coalition’s founder, Monte Barnett, said the group was born in Avondale and focuses on reducing stigma around overdose and improving access to culturally appropriate treatment. “I share that with them and I let them see what recovery looks like,” Barnett said, noting he has been in recovery eight years and that volunteers do “boots on the ground” outreach where people are more receptive to workers who “look like them.”

Why it matters: Presenters told the committee that while overall county overdose rates have fallen in some populations, Black adults in Hamilton County and Cincinnati are experiencing higher death rates and shorter treatment durations than white counterparts. The presenters linked the trend to fentanyl and to combined stimulant–opioid use, which can mask overdose risk.

Michael Collins, chief operating officer of ReachOne Recovery Services, reviewed data slides and said fentanyl combined with stimulants is producing deadly effects: “When you combine those, it feels like as a user that you're not overdosing. But as your stimulants burn off, you still have opiates in your system which can lead to increased chances of overdose,” Collins said. He flagged that older Black men are being affected at rising rates.

Presenters described how fentanyl has infiltrated non‑injection drugs such as crack cocaine and pills, and noted another emerging contaminant, xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer on which naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse effects. Rasheeda Pearson, representing harm‑reduction work, said many people in the affected communities do not recognize opioids or realize fentanyl may be present in what they buy on the street.

Speakers outlined current outreach and prevention activities: community education events, distribution and training in Narcan and fentanyl test strips, and plans to train families and youth. Todd Craig, a court liaison and recovery counselor, and Lonnie Miller, a mental‑health and substance‑use therapist, emphasized that treatment must address trauma and concurrent mental‑health needs. Craig said more people are connected to treatment today than in the 1990s but that resources remain insufficient.

The coalition said it operates without steady funding and asked the committee to consider city partnership and to share information on local grant opportunities. The group provided contact information: info@a1stigmafree.org and a website listed as a1-stigmafree.org.

The Healthy Neighborhoods Committee thanked presenters and noted staff would provide a sheet of potential funding sources and application information before the group left.