Ohio continues to feel the effects of the opioid crisis.
In 2023, more than 4,000 Ohioans died from unintentional drug overdoses, according to the Ohio Department of Health. This was a 9% decrease from the previous year, but the issue remains a pressing public health concern.
Across the state, counties are turning to harm reduction— a public health strategy that provides life-saving tools like Naloxone, or Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses.
These tools are becoming increasingly available in public spaces, including health departments, campus clinics and even vending machines.
Monday on the "Sound of Ideas," we're focusing on harm reduction efforts in Kent and Portage County.
We'll hear from Townhall II Integrated Health Network, a local behavioral health organization offering free supplies through a vending machine in downtown Kent. And from Kent State University, where student government has helped make Narcan available at the campus health center.
These efforts reflect a broader shift— recognizing that harm reduction can benefit not only people in recovery or those experiencing homelessness, but students, families and the wider community.
Later, a conversation about post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a mental health condition triggered by trauma. Symptoms like insomnia, anxiety or emotional detachment, can last weeks, or a lifetime.
In the U.S., roughly 6% of adults will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop PTSD. And veterans face even higher risks. Rates among female veterans sit at around 13% compared to 6% among male veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In the second half of the show, we'll explore how PTSD affects the brain and body, from flashbacks and anxiety to sleep disruption and chronic stress.
We'll look at treatment options, including therapy approaches like cognitive processing and prolonged exposure, alongside medications and emerging interventions.
And we'll trace how our understanding of PTSD has evolved from being characterized as "combat fatigue" and "shell shock" to today's trauma-informed care.
Guests:
- Ivory Kendrick, Undergraduate Student Body President, Kent State University
- Tamera Hunter, Chief Executive Officer, Townhall II Integrated Health Network
- Heather Flores, Psy.D., Assistant Chief, PTSD and specialty mental health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Patrick Palmieri, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, University Hospitals
