That was faster than the rate of suicides and car accidents in 2015, underscoring the tragic consequences of a growing nationwide heroin epidemic, which accounted for 25 percent of the overdose deaths in 2015 — triple the share from 1999, according to the report.
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Ohio — with a overdose death rate of 29.9 per 100,000 — was among the five states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdoses in 2015, according to the CDC, including: West Virginia (41.5 per 100,000), New Hampshire (34.3 per 100,000), Kentucky (29.9 per 100,000), and Rhode Island (28.2 per 100,000).
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Locally, Montgomery County health officials say overdose deaths are now the No. 1 public health threat, burdening rehab and addiction services.
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“This epidemic has taken us all by storm, all across this country,” said Helen Jones-Kelley, executive director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board of Montgomery County. “We have never seen an addiction crisis like this, at least not in my career.”
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