Cuyahoga County is in the middle of a public health crisis, with more than 600 heroin, cocaine and fentanyl deaths in 2016, and a projection of up to 850 deaths in 2017. According to the Centers for Disease Control, four out of five new heroin users started with an addiction to prescription opioids.
As part of an ongoing effort to stem the tide of addiction and overdose, a new task force has been formed, made up of individuals from local hospitals, Cuyahoga County, the US Attorney's Office, the Medical Examiner's Office and local media including iHeartMedia. It's known as the "Know the Risks" campaign. For more information visit www.knowtherx.org.