DuPage County Opioid Crisis: $1.5 Million Granted To Help Opioid Use Victims

WHEATON, IL — DuPage County has some more tools in its arsenal to battle the current opioid use epidemic. The county announced Tuesday that it will receive $1.5 million in federal funds to help train medical professionals and equip officers with life-saving Narcan.

The grant is part of the First Responders' Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was established to raise awareness and promote safety surrounding opioid use. Many police departments throughout DuPage County have already started equipping their officers with Narcan.

In 2016, opiate-related deaths in DuPage County increased by 50% from the previous year, according to information from the county coroner's office. During 2017 there has been a surge of opiate overdoses in DuPage County due to dealers cutting opiates with Fentanyl, Carfentanil and other opioids that can be up to 10,000 times stronger than heroin.

Recently, deputies used Narcan to save a man who had overdosed outside DuPage County Courthouse.

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