Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart launched an email helpline today to connect people to life-saving drug naloxone and released the second installment of the Sheriff’s Awareness Initiative video series on the opioid crisis.
The second installment of the video series can be found at http://www.facebook.com/cookcountysheriff and http://https://adobe.ly/2rfuCnX.
The video seeks to underscore the number of overdose deaths using a map to illustrate how every part of Cook County is impacted. Opioids kill more people than guns and car accidents annually. The video directs viewers to reach out to a new email address to be assisted in obtaining Naloxone, which can be administered by lay people and can reverse an overdose.
Members of the public interested in knowing how to obtain free naloxone should email Opioid.Help@CookCountyIL.gov for further information. The Office will work with community partners and other naloxone sources to facilitate distribution. Additionally, anyone seeking information on how to properly dispose of unused prescription medication can receive instruction via the email address, or visit: https://www.cookcountysheriffil.gov/departments/supportive-services/prescription-drug-take-back-program/
The email helpline and Awareness Initiative are just a few elements of the Office’s response to the crisis. Several substance abuse programs both inside and outside the Cook County Jail address hundreds of individuals in custody for addiction on a daily basis.
The Office also partners with the Cook County Health and Hospitals System to distribute naloxone to at-risk individuals in custody upon release. More than 1,200 kits have been distributed.