By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — To fight the opioid epidemic in 18 south-central Illinois rural counties that have been hard hit, the Illinois Department of Public Health has received a grant entitled, “Empowering and Equipping Law Enforcement and Communities in Rural Illinois to Reduce Opioid Overdose,” from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. IDPH will receive more than $2 million in federal funding under this grant over the next four years.
“Rural areas typically do not have as many emergency medical service resources, so law enforcement officers are often the first to arrive at the scene of an overdose,” said IDPH Director Dr. Nirav D. Shah. “To combat the number of overdose deaths, it is vital that we equip law enforcement in rural areas with the training and resources to help prevent thousands of deaths each year.”
The opioid overdose death rate in the 18 counties has increased more than 50 percent in the past two years, outpacing the 30 percent average increase in all rural Illinois counties over the same period of time. Part of the grant will be used to equip every police and sheriff department squad car in the 18 counties with naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The grant will additionally fund training on overdose prevention and naloxone use to law enforcement officer in the targeted area. Efforts will also include establishing robust follow-up, referral, and care coordination for individuals who have overdosed, and increasing public awareness about naloxone and Illinois’ “Good Samaritan” laws. These laws empower friends and family of an overdose victim to administer naloxone and allow individuals to see emergency help for overdoses without risking criminal liability for possession.
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