Lawrence County and southern Ohio have been battling the overdose crisis for several years now.

And while progress has been made on many fronts, there was some discouraging news this week.

Lawrence County Coroner Dr. Ben Mack told the county commission this week that there has been a substantial increase in overdose deaths in the county from 2017 to 2018.

Mack said overdose deaths were up 60 percent, going from 15 to 24.

Most of these involved fentanyl, he said.

We would urge all who hear this news to understand that this crisis is not going to go away overnight and that numbers will go up.

However, local, state and federal leaders should not dismiss the strides that have been made.

Locally, we have seen recovery groups grow, offering those who have gone through rehab a chance to reintegrate with society and not fall back into the same habits.

With Common Pleas Judge Andy Ballard having established a drug court, which works to aid those with addiction problems, newly-elected Judge Christen Finley has expressed interest in starting such a docket in her common pleas court as well.

It is only by continuing and expanding these efforts that headway will be made. We urge all in our community, from officials to those interested in volunteering, to not give up hope and to hold out through this crisis.

As Mark Twain once said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

And Lawrence County has enough fight in it to get the job done.