COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – On the south side of Columbus, Amy Wickes watches as heroin takes friend after friend.

The recovering drug addict spent four years in prison.

Now, Amy spends her time helping addicts get clean. She even wrote a book detailing her struggles.

“They are begging me to get into treatment. And the lines for treatment are so god-awful, that the only place to get someone sober is jails or prison,” said Amy.

Statewide, heroin-related deaths have skyrocketed. There were 697 deaths in 2012 and 983 in 2013, surpassing prescription drug deaths.

Teresa Long, Columbus Public Health commissioner, says the situation is dire.

“I agree with our governor,” she said. “We have a crisis. We have an epidemic of drug use and there are lots of consequences to this.”

This includes a recent spike in hepatitis c cases, a virus often transmitted when addicts share needles.

Dr. Long says her office is working on a comprehensive plan to fight heroin addiction and related diseases, including greater access of Naloxone or Narcan. The drug is an antidote for opiate overdoses. And, she said she wants to give addicts access to immediate treatment services.

“Another one would be to screen for these infectious diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis C; the blood borne pathogens we are concerned about,” Long said.

They are also weighing the pros and cons to starting a needle exchange program, similar to those found in Dayton, Cleveland and Cincinnati.

“We’ve not had the infectious disease or high deaths associated with needle usage and injection drug use,” Long said. “We have not had the public health crisis that demanded a public health emergency being declared.”

Amy Wickes supports the exchange program.

“They need the needles that are clean. It’s sad but true. The good outweighs the bad,” said Wickes.

But she said treatment must start when addicts are in prison, not after they are released.