ADDICTION
& MENTAL WELLNESS
60.8% Residents identifying alcohol/substance abuse as a major community health issue
why it matters
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Addiction and mental health challenges touch every Akron neighborhood, driving overdose deaths, suicide, homelessness, and family instability—issues residents themselves rank among the top threats to community health and wellness.
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These problems carry huge economic costs for the city in health care, emergency response, policing, courts, and lost productivity, while effective treatment and recovery services can return more value to the community than they cost.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
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Investing in mental health care, prevention, and addiction treatment strengthens public safety, supports children’s success in school, and makes Akron a healthier, more attractive place to live, work, and do business.
Akron by the numbers
739
about 2 visits per day, were connected Drug-overdose-related emergency department visits in 2024
54%
Overdose-related ER patients from Akron
>2,600
fatalities through accidental overdoses in 2013-2024
61.8%
Residents identifying mental-health conditions as a major community health issue
15.6
per 100,000 in 2019-2023 an increase from 11.9 per 100,000 in 2009-2013.
12.8
per 100,000 in 2019-2023 a increase in suicide rate among Black residents from 4.4 per 100,000 in 2009-2013
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