MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - Mahoning County recorded 12 drug overdose deaths in January — triple the number from January 2016.

The county coroner's office says the increase in addiction and overdose deaths comes with costs associated in dealing with those cases.

"It's the ambulance crew and the EMS personnel who go out and resuscitate the person. That costs $1,200 to $1,500. It's the ride to the emergency room and the resources of the emergency room. That all drives everybody's health care costs up," said Deputy Coroner Dr. Joseph Ohr.

The medical examiner says it's also tax dollars that could be paving roads or fixing potholes.

"It's going to go and is going towards the drug problem," Dr. Ohr said.

On a positive note, the county health department has received a state grant to form a team to investigate the circumstances surrounding every overdose.

"We now have a coordinator in the health department that is going to be creating a task force to look at the opiate and prescription drug overdoses that we're experiencing in the community," said Patricia Sweeney, county health commissioner.

She believes that what the task force learns could provide new insights on addiction prevention.

Dr. Ohr says it's not just a problem for the addict, but a problem for the community and those who are not addicted.