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Guards, Inmates Treated For Drug Exposure At Ross Correctional Institute

[Dan Henson / Shutterstock]
close up of prison cell bars [Dan Henson / Shutterstock]

Gabe Rosenberg, WOSU

Two dozen people have been treated for possible drug exposure at the Ross Correctional Institution, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

According to a press release, 24 people at the prison began showing signs of a drug overdose around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday. The exposure affected correctional officers, nurses and inmates.

No deaths have so far been reported.

"The facility is secure with no safety threat to the public," the release says.

Several officers and medics responded and administered naloxone, and those affected were transported to Adena Regional Medical Center. Naloxone is widely used to combat overdoses caused by opioids such as heroin or fentanyl.

"It looks like all the staff have been treated," said Christopher Mabe, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association. "It looks like there's one inmate in ICU currently."

According to the press release, the prison cleared the contaminated block and moved all inmates to another part of the facility. 

"A hazardous material decontamination team is en route for cleanup," the release states. "This incident remains under investigation."

According to the civil service employees union, opioid addiction is an increasing problem in Ohio's prison system.

"It's something that we consistently try to deal with inside the agencies," Mabe said. "We are way under-staffed in our Department of Corrections, and we still have a large capacity of inmates that we're not used to dealing with."

Messages were left for the prisons system.

The prison is about 44 miles south of Columbus.

This article will be updated with more information as the story develops.