CLEVELAND — Terrence Ingram starts his day at 4 a.m., overseeing operations at Community Medical Services, an addiction treatment center located in the downtown and south side of Cleveland.

“One of the main things we want to do is provide hope,” Ingram said. “Hope to individuals that they could get better, that they could kick the opioid use disorder that has been plaguing them and again lead an effective life.”

What You Need To Know

  • The number of overdose-related deaths is down by 9%, according to a new Ohio Department of Health report

  • Still, thousands of Ohioans are dying of opioid overdoses each year, with the state reporting around 4,400 deaths in 2023

  • The Ohio Department of Health and treatment centers are working to continue bringing down the number of overdose-related deaths and are increasing accessibility to opioid-overdose antidote naloxone

Ingram serves as the senior clinic manager at CMC where they offer medication assisted treatment, providing clients a variety of medicines, counseling and wellness goody bags.

“We have Narcan spray. We provide this to our clients, as needed,” he said.

The state of Ohio has invested heavily in addiction treatment services; according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office, the number of treatment providers in Ohio has grown by more than 250%, going from 35 to 125 since 2019. Ohio was once considered the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, with state data showing unintentional drug overdoses as the leading cause of injury-related deaths, outnumbering deaths by motor vehicle crashes between 2007 and 2015.

Those numbers are now declining for the second year in a row, said DeWine’s office in a 2024 report.

Still, the crisis continues to impact millions of families across the state, including Michelle Liddy, who lost her then 23-year-old son to an opioid overdose three years ago.

“He loved his music. He loved people. He would have given you the shirt off his back,” Liddy said. “But he had his demons, and he struggled. He fought, he fought hard.”

She now provides support to others who’ve lost a loved one to addiction as the executive director of the nonprofit Grieving Overdose.

“You can't love their addiction away because, believe me, if you could, I would still have my son,” she said. “Don’t give up on them. Let them know they are loved.”

Liddy isn’t alone in telling her story. 

Ingram said he’s noticed a growing awareness and declining stigma surrounding Opioid Use Disorder.

“People are more aware of the care and the services that we provide, which then allow us to treat the clients more effectively,” he said.

Moving forward, Ingram said their waiting rooms could see an influx of clients, but the treatments centers’ mission will remain the same.

“As a society, we're exposed to a lot more, so that's what I feel it is going to keep rising,” Ingram said. “And with that being said, we will continue to keep providing those services so that we could meet that demand when it comes.”