Fatal heroin-related overdoses in northwest Ohio continue to accelerate. That fact underscores the need to create a more responsive treatment network and to expand an addiction resource unit run by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office.

This year, the Toledo area recorded 123 heroin-related deaths through October, Dr. Robert Forney, Lucas County’s chief toxicologist, told The Blade’s editorial page. The most current tally includes 25 deaths in September and October — a monthly rate nearly double the rate reported in January.

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Moreover, the coroner’s office this month received a “flurry of cases,” still under investigation, that appear to be heroin-related, Dr. Forney said. “This isn’t just a trend — it’s a real crisis,” he said. “I think most people still don’t understand how serious this is.”

Toledo is part of a statewide and national epidemic of addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers. But state officials say northwest Ohio’s increases in fatal overdoses may exceed those in other parts of the state.

The number of fatal heroin-related overdoses in the Toledo area more than doubled last year, to 80. They’re on pace nearly to double again this year. An estimated 200,000 Ohioans are addicted to heroin or other opioids. Statewide, fatal opioid-related overdoses kill at least three people a day.

Virtually all of the fatal heroin-related overdoses in northwest Ohio involve multiple drugs, including Fentanyl, Benadryl, anti-depressants, and tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax. Men make up more than 80 percent of the local fatal overdoses, as do whites. The average age for all cases is about 38.

Rising drug-related deaths should spur local officials to expand the addiction resource unit of the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office. The unit has steered dozens of minor offenders into treatment, but it is simply overwhelmed. Because of a lack of staff, the unit can’t reach many addicts before they leave the hospital and become difficult to find.

Launched in July, the resource unit includes two deputies who work full-time investigating overdoses and meeting with victims and their families. A lieutenant, sergeant, and counselor also work with the unit. Oregon police support the unit with a part-time officer, as does the Toledo Police Department with two full-time officers.

Sheriff John Tharp told The Blade’s editorial page that the unit now handles nearly 220 cases and needs at least four more full-time employees, including counselors. Mr. Tharp met with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine last week to request grants for additional staff.

He’s also meeting with local business leaders to seek funding. Any business that wants to make a big difference in the community should consider supporting this innovative and effective program.

Local treatment providers must also work smarter. A Dec. 14 column by Jeff Gerritt, The Blade’s deputy editorial page editor, portrayed a Toledo heroin addict who died in August while he waited for an appointment with a prescriber that was set for about two months after an initial counseling session.

Waiting periods to get into treatment — and especially to get drugs such as Suboxone that are prescribed for medication-assisted treatment — are far too long. Local providers and the agencies that fund them need to figure out how they can become more responsive to addicts who come to them desperate for help.

Lucas County has generally responded well to Ohio’s most serious public health crisis. But the latest statistics on fatal heroin-related overdoses show that this community must do far more to get those who are suffering from addiction into effective treatment quickly.

First Published December 24, 2014, 5:00 a.m.