Board recommends drug test strip that detects fentanyl following spike in Ohio overdose deaths

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - With thousands dying of opioid overdoses in Ohio and so many more struggling with mental health issues, the Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services group, or ADAMHS, is reaching out to help anyone in need.

The agency is hosting the Behavioral Health Client Wellness Fair on July 22.

Those with a more immediate need can call their 24/7 hotline. While they don’t condone drug use, ADAMHS is providing drug test strips to help determine if your powdered and crack cocaine, meth or heroin have been laced with fentanyl, an opioid that is 50 times more powerful than morphine that is often deadly.

Beth Zietlow DeJesus is the ADAMHS director of public relations.

“We also provide free community education programs on mental health, substance use disorder, suicide prevention and stigma reduction," she said. "The ADAMHS board is happy to host a presentation anywhere. We do those for free. So, people just need to call the ADAMHS board.”

DeJesus said often people show signs of depression or of thinking about committing suicide.

Scott Osiecki, CEO of the ADAMHS board, says those signs often go unnoticed.

“It’s also important that if you notice some symptoms for a family member or friend, it’s OK to talk with them about it," Osiecki said.

He says, sometimes, signs can be very hard to see and that one should not feel guilty for not noticing. But he hastens to say, if one does notice, it’s important to try and get help for the person in distress.

You can watch this entire CW 43 Focus show with host Harry Boomer and his guest on demand on our Roku and Amazon Fire TV apps, online at Cleveland19.com and every Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. on CW 43.

Copyright 2019 WOIO. All rights reserved.