Dayton Police Chief, ADAMHS: COVID-19 contributed to rise in fatal overdoses in 2020

DAYTON — In 2020, Montgomery County saw its first increase in fatal overdoses in three years.

Across the county, 33 more people died of drug overdoses this year than the year prior, according to Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl.

Biehl said that COVID restrictions put in place to keep people safe actually put more people in harm’s way.

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“In fact, we saw a spike as the COVID restrictions were implemented, we saw spikes in overdoses,” Biehl said.

Helen Jones-Kelley, leader of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Services board, called the COVID-19 pandemic a “game changer” for the community.

“People were not able to access the number of in-person programs and services they were used to,” Jones-Kelley said. “The world went virtual.”

According to Jones-Kelley, many people recovering from addiction don’t have smart phones that allow them to take part in virtual meetings. She also attributes quarantine to the rise in difficulty for those recovering to make it past temptation.

“We were telling people to stay away from their loved ones,” Jones-Kelley said. “Folks were social isolating, not social distancing.”

Cox Media Group