On Jan. 12, the Kane County Health Department sent out a press release statement outlining the area’s recent spike in drug overdoses, namely those related to opioids.

The release covers how the county is spending its money to properly combat the crisis, as well as just how severe the problem has become, with Kane County having 419 overdose-related hospitalizations and 99 overdose-related deaths since last year.

The county is giving money to several “community-based groups.” The money is to be used for naloxone, or Narcan, a medicine that reverses the effect of opiates, as well as recovery coaches, assistance for those struggling with homelessness and proper use of harm reduction strategies.

Some of the groups they have funded include the African American Men of Unity (AAMOU), a group dedicated to improving quality of life in “impoverished communities,” the Kane County Collaborative Diversion, whose mission is to help rehabilitate those with criminal backgrounds as a result of substance abuse and mental illness, Lighthouse Recovery, an addiction treatment center in St.Charles, who received the highest sum of $40,000 and others who share similar mission statements.

This money is being granted with the aid of the Illinois Department of Human Services as part of a community effort to reduce the amount of opioid abuse and the number of opioid-related deaths throughout the state and county.

Kane County Health Department Executive Director Micheal Isaacson is also set to attend State of the Union.

Isaacson said in a separate press release about the summit, “…I’m proud to advocate for continued federal support for these issues on the national stage.”

You can view Kane County’s press release on local Drug Overdoses here: Kane County Funds Efforts to Reduce a Rapid Rise in Drug Overdoses