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Local officials and first responders urge Senate to restore naloxone and overdose prevention funding in HB 96
Summary
County commissioners, first responders and public‑health coalitions told the Senate that cuts to overdose strategy funding would undermine naloxone distribution programs that have reduced overdose deaths and saved lives in Ohio.
Hamilton and Clermont County leaders, police chiefs and other emergency‑response officials told the Senate Health Committee that naloxone distribution and overdose prevention funding in the governor’s budget have saved lives and should be restored where the House reduced them.
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus and Clermont County Commissioner David Painter described naloxone as a critical “first step” that enables survivors to connect with treatment and recovery resources. Driehaus said Hamilton County has distributed more than 30,000 doses through public health, EMS and community partners and credited naloxone with a 51 percent decline in overdose fatalities in Hamilton County since 2017.
First responders described dramatic local incidents that required widespread naloxone use. Newtown Police Chief Thomas Thinnan said naloxone access was essential when hundreds overdosed in a single week in 2016 after potent fentanyl arrived in the region. “Without the availability of naloxone, Clermont County would soon see an increase in the EMS departments reporting,” witnesses said.
Why it matters: Witnesses argued that naloxone saves lives immediately and creates opportunities for long‑term recovery, housing and employment. They asked the Senate to restore Department of Health chronic disease, injury prevention and drug overdose line‑item funding (line item 440,482 referenced by witnesses) to the governor’s proposed amounts.
Ending: Public‑safety and county leaders urged bipartisan support to maintain or restore overdose‑prevention investments in HB 96 and warned that reductions would reverse progress in reducing overdose deaths.
