Community Indicator

Opioid Deaths

- All residents are safe, supported and able to care for themselves
Strategic Priorities
  • Not Defined
    7.6 Drive collaborative efforts to prevent and treat opioid addiction
    - All residents are safe, supported and able to care for themselves
About this measure

This measure tracks the number of deaths in Cuyahoga County due to opioids. 

Data are reported by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Preliminary data are reported each quarter with updates provided as full reports are completed.
Why is this important?

Opioid overdoses have a tremendous impact on Cuyahoga County. First and foremost, fatal overdose victims pay the ultimate price - losing their lives. Family and friends are also severely impacted by this loss. Parents lose children, siblings lose siblings, young children lose their parent(s). The crisis is also hitting virtually every County department and division through increased cost of service delivery.
How are we making an impact?

This is a community indicator measure. It is provided to show an understanding of the overall community health. The County government does not directly control the outcome of this measure; however, a number of programs and initiatives the County is undertaking can have an impact.

Collaboration continues with community partners to provide data and resources for first response life saving, harm reduction, ongoing care and treatment and potential drug interdiction and drug dealer prosecution strategies. These include the U.S. Attorney's Heroin and Opioid Task Force, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health's Opiate Taskforce, Project DAWN, fentanyl test strip distribution, quick response teams, community and law enforcement alerts, community data, fatality reviews, and more.
Data Source

Cuyahoga County: Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office

Comparative Analysis: Self-reported by county (Month of Update: July)

*In Q1-21, 2020 preliminary data was updated to reflect final numbers. 

In Q4-20, Cuyahoga County began reporting Cuyahoga Performance data by race and ethnicity when available.  The Opioid Deaths page has been updated to report annual opioid deaths by race.  Race and ethnicity data reported by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office (MEO) is based on data collected in the MEO's case management system, which is aligns with the reporting systems for a variety of federal and state agencies reporting on drug deaths.  
Opioid Deaths - Quarterly Performance
Opioid Deaths in Cuyahoga County (by Quarter)
Bar chart with 4 bars.
Bar chart shows the number of deaths due to opioids in Cuyahoga County by quarter. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Opioid Deaths. Range: 0 to 125.
End of interactive chart.
Opioid Deaths - Annual Performance
Opioid Deaths in Cuyahoga County (by Year)
Bar chart with 3 bars.
Bar chart shows the number of deaths due to opioids in Cuyahoga County by calendar year. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Opioid Deaths. Range: 0 to 500.
End of interactive chart.
Opioid Deaths by Race- Annual Performance
Opioid Deaths in Cuyahoga County by Race (by Year)
Bar chart with 4 data series.
Stacked bar chart shows the number of deaths due to opioids in Cuyahoga County by race by calendar year. See data table for details.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 600.
End of interactive chart.
Community Indicator
Drug Deaths - Comparative Analysis
Comparative Analysis: Drug Deaths
Drug Deaths (Comparative Analysis)
Bar chart with 6 data series.
Bar chart shows the number of drug deaths due in comparative counties in 2019. Cuyahoga: 582 Allegheny: 564 Franklin: 543 Montgomery: 265 Hamilton: 245 Summit: 225
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Range: 0 to 800.
End of interactive chart.
Measure Data
Last Calculated a day ago
Period Status Total Total YTD Black White American Indian and Alaska Native Asian
2016 Community Indicator 557 557
2017 Community Indicator 556 556
Q1-18 Community Indicator 112 112
Q2-18 Community Indicator 91 203
Q3-18 Community Indicator 129 332
Q4-18 Community Indicator 107 439 95.00 342.00 1.00 1.00
Q1-19 Community Indicator 124 124
Q2-19 Community Indicator 99 223
Q3-19 Community Indicator 103 326
Q4-19 Community Indicator 133 459 130.00 326.00 1.00 2.00
Q1-20 Community Indicator 81 81
Q2-20 Community Indicator 111 192
Q3-20 Community Indicator 117 309
Q4-20 Community Indicator 115 424 104.00 316.00 1.00 3.00
Q1-21 Community Indicator 140 140 42.00 97.00 0.00 1.00
Q2-21 Not Defined 140
Q3-21 Not Defined 140
Q4-21 Not Defined 140