Federal Law Named After Suburban Man Who Died of Overdose Will Increase Access to Heroin Antidote

A national law named after Alex Laliberte, a Buffalo Grove man who died of a drug overdose seven years ago, passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week and will increase access to naloxone, a life-saving heroin antidote that has saved dozens of lives in Lake County and throughout the suburbs in recent years.

Lali’s Law creates a grant program that will help states increase access to naloxone, according to a press release from Dold’s Office. The primary purpose of the grant is to fund state programs that allow pharmacists to distribute naloxone without a prescription. Many states use these programs to allow local law enforcement officers to carry and use naloxone, similar to the program in Lake County and other suburbs.

"Watching Congressman Dold speak in the U.S. House and witnessing the vote for Lali's Law is such an honor," Laliberte’s mother Jody Daitchman said."My hope is that many people will soon have easier access to naloxone. It’s truly life or death. Alex would be overjoyed that the opportunity to save many lives is on its way to becoming a federal law. As a mother who had to bury her beautiful child, I'm thrilled that the necessary steps are being taken to accomplish this."

Laliberte played sports at Stevenson High School, did well in school and cared about his friends and family, but during his sophomore year of college he began being hospitalized for a mysterious illness. Unknown to his family and doctors, Laliberte had an addiction to prescription drugs and was being hospitalized for his withdrawal.

He would stay in the hospital until his symptoms subsided only to leave the hospital and repeat the cycle. Laliberte continued this pattern until he died of a heroin and prescription drug overdose in 2008 -- a few days before his final exams -- just a year after he graduated from Stevenson High School.

"Sadly, Alex’s life was cut short before he ever had the chance to seek help for his opioid dependency," said U.S. Congressman Robert Dold who partnered with Laliberte’s family to introduce the law. "In Alex’s memory, our bipartisan bill Lali’s Law will give thousands of others a second chance at recovery and spare their families from unimaginable heartbreak."

Laliberte’s family, who has since founded substance use and overdose awareness and advocacy organization called Live4Lali, partnered with Rep. Dold to introduce Lali’s Law.

"When we started Live4Lali, we just wanted to help one family or one person in need of support. We never envisioned that our message would be received so strongly across the Midwest, the country, and by U.S. Congress through Congressman Dold’s advocacy," Laliberte’s sister Chelsea Laliberte said. "That message is that every person is important, every person deserves a chance to lead a fulfilling life, and not one of us can judge another for what makes he or she human. Without a pulse, no change is possible."

Between 2001 and 2014, there was a three-fold increase in prescription drug overdoses and a six-fold increase in heroin overdoses in the United States. Heroin now takes a life every three days in Chicago's collar counties and takes more than one life every day in Cook County.

Naloxone, however, has proven to be hugely successful as a life-saving antidote, Dold said in the news release. When used, naloxone helps restore breathing that has been stopped by an overdose. In Lake County, 77 lives have been saved with naloxone since a new program developed by the Lake County Opioid Initiative was introduced equipping first responders with the overdose antidote.

With increased access, the World Health Organization predicts naloxone could save another 20,000 lives every year.

"This bill will help ensure that more people have access to naloxone, which will save lives," Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim said."Congressman Dold has been a huge partner in our efforts to address the opiate epidemic in Lake County, and I applaud him for his leadership."

In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed a provision also named Lali’sLaw in memory of Alex Laliberte. The state bill built upon Illinois’s existing naloxone access law to explicitly authorize trained pharmacists to prescribe anti-overdose drugs to users and family members of those at risk of a fatal overdose.

Any layperson over the age of 18 can now be trained to administer and carry naloxone. The bill also provided criminal immunity for healthcare professionals who prescribe naloxone and improved first responder access to naloxone.

The federal Lali’s Law will give Illinois officials, as well as public health officials in other states, the opportunity to use federal grants to fund changes authorized as part of the state-level Lali’s Law and similar legislation passed elsewhere in the country that will increase access to naloxone.Rep. Dold is a co-chair of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force and also a member of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic. Lali’s Law passed the U.S. House of Representatives 414 to 4. "

Sadly, Alex’s life was cut short before he ever had the chance to seek help for his opioid dependency," Rep. Dold said. "In Alex’s memory, our bipartisan bill Lali’s Law will give thousands of others a second chance at recovery and spare their families from unimaginable heartbreak."

Laliberte played sports at Stevenson High School, did well in school and cared about his friends and family, but during his sophomore year of college he began being hospitalized for a mysterious illness. Unknown to his family and doctors, Laliberte had an addiction to prescription drugs and was being hospitalized for his withdrawal.

He would stay in the hospital until his symptoms subsided only to leave the hospital and repeat the cycle. Laliberte continued this pattern until he died of a heroin and prescription drug overdose a few days before his final exams.Laliberte’s family, who has since founded substance use and overdose awareness and advocacy organization Live4Lali, partnered with Rep. Dold to introduce Lali’s Law.

"When we started Live4Lali, we just wanted to help one family or one person in need of support. We never envisioned that our message would be received so strongly across the Midwest, the country, and by U.S. Congress through Congressman Dold’s advocacy," Laliberte’s sister Chelsea Laliberte said. "That message is that every person is important, every person deserves a chance to lead a fulfilling life, and not one of us can judge another for what makes he or she human. Without a pulse, no change is possible."

Between 2001 and 2014, there was a three-fold increase in prescription drug overdoses and a six-fold increase in heroin overdoses in the United States. Heroin now takes a life every three days in Chicago's collar counties and takes more than one life every day in Cook County.

Naloxone, however, has proven to be hugely successful as a life-saving antidote, Dold said in a news release. When used, naloxone helps restore breathing that has been stopped by an overdose. In Lake County, 77 lives have been saved with naloxone since a new program developed by the Lake County Opioid Initiative was introduced equipping first responders with the overdose antidote. With increased access, the World Health Organization predicts naloxone could save another 20,000 lives every year.

"This bill will help ensure that more people have access to naloxone, which will save lives," Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim said."Congressman Dold has been a huge partner in our efforts to address the opiate epidemic in Lake County, and I applaud him for his leadership."

Lali’s Law creates a grant program that will help states increase access to naloxone. The primary purpose of the grant is to fund state programs that allow pharmacists to distribute naloxone without a prescription. Many states use these programs to allow local law enforcement officers to carry and use naloxone, similar to the Lake County, Ill. program.

In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed a provision also named Lali’sLaw in memory of Alex Laliberte. The state bill built upon Illinois’s existing naloxone access law to explicitly authorize trained pharmacists to prescribe anti-overdose drugs to users and family members of those at risk of a fatal overdose. Any layperson over the age of 18 can now be trained to administer and carry naloxone.

The bill also provided criminal immunity for healthcare professionals who prescribe naloxone and improved first responder access to naloxone. The federal Lali’s Law will give Illinois officials, as well as public health officials in other states, the opportunity to use federal grants to fund changes authorized as part of the state-level Lali’s Law and similar legislation passed elsewhere in the country that will increase access to naloxone.

Rep. Dold is a co-chair of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force and also a member of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic.

More on Patch

• Rep. Clark, Dold Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Combat Heroin Epidemic
• Family Remembers Laliberte, Raises Funds for Youth Programs

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