Second Phase of Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge Begins

Ohio is asking its citizens to step up and make a contribution to the fight against the opioid crisis with the Ohio Opioid Technology Challenge. The state is hoping to kick-start development of new and helpful ideas that could allow for serious innovations in the treatment of opioid addiction and other relevant issues.

The Idea Phase of the project just ended in December 2017, and ideas from all Ohio, the country, and the world poured in. The Challenge Phase now follows, which was launched in February and has a deadline of July 11th, 2018. Winners will be announced in September of this year. Finally, The Product Phase will be launched in September with a deadline sometime in July of 2019. Winners of the final phase will be announced in August 2019.

The four topics included in the Challenge Phase are as follows:

• Diagnose: Create technology that rapidly identifies those with a serious risk of addiction, overdose, etc.
• Prevent: Create technology that helps to eliminate or at least minimize the cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and other issues a person could experience in recovery that could lead to relapse.
• Connect: Create technology that allows for those who have relapsed or overdosed to receive immediate interventions.
• Protect: Create technology that protects first responders and other professional from exposure to toxic opioid levels.

Up to 12 winners will receive $200,000 to advance their technologies and bring these solutions to life.

Fighting the Opioid Crisis

Being able to fight the opioid crisis is an enormous priority, not only in Ohio, but in the entire United States. The current administration declared this issue to be a public health emergency in 2017, but this didn’t sit well with many individuals who feel it should be given much more attention. This is also understandable when we consider the ways in which the opioid crisis has affected Ohio and the entire country.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of heroin overdose deaths has increased dramatically from 2010 (when there were fewer than 1 death per 100,000 population) to 2016 (when there were nearly 5 deaths per 100,000 population).
• The number of synthetic opioid deaths also spiked from 2013 to 2016 due to the use and abuse of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. In addition, people are manufacturing fentanyl to be sold on the black market, which has severely increased the number of opioid overdose deaths in the past few years.
• The general number of opioid deaths has skyrocketed in the past two decades. There were only 3 deaths per 100,000 population in 2000, and there were over 13 in 2016.

Opioid addiction is a serious problem and more advances in technology are necessary to be able to fight it effectively.

I Need Help Now.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an opioid addiction, it’s time to get real, professional help. Call 800-996-6135(Who Answers?) to speak with a treatment advisor, and we will match you with the best detox and rehab programs available.