AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/addiction/)
State Rep. La Shawn Ford reminds us that every family has someone who has struggled with addiction and substance use disorder. “We are in this together.” Meeting someone where they are at means bridging the gap between your own expectations and where the other person is coming from.
A new state law protects a person who provides emergency medical assistance to someone who’s experiencing an overdose. A Good Samaritan in these cases cannot be arrested, charged or prosecuted for drug violations. State Rep. La Shawn Ford lauds the new law, noting more Good Samaritans are needed to give naloxone, the medication used to reverse an overdose.
Starting at noon Monday at 4000 W. Jackson, state Rep. La Shawn Ford and representatives from several community groups – including Prevention Partnership, Thresholds, The Night Ministry, Fathers Who Care, Rush Hospital, Heartland Alliance and Healthcare Alternative Services – will provide overdose reversal training; distribute Narcan/naloxone and PPE; make referrals to medication-assisted recovery for addiction treatment; and help with housing.
There are programs available in Austin for people who want to continue treatment or seek help for the first time. Austin native Jerome McNutt, who’s been sober for 19 months, says he’s taking things one day at a time and encourages others to do the same. “This is a good time to get your life right.”
The West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. March 6 at Lawndale Christian Health Center, 4750 W. Ogden Ave. State Rep. La Shawn Ford chairs the task force, which will be honoring the memory of those who’ve died from a drug overdose.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford announced the news Aug. 31, which is International Overdose Awareness Day. The lead agency for the award will be Prevention Partnership Inc., a 35- year-old agency located in the Austin neighborhood.
Free packets of naxolone were distributed at an event held Monday at The Loretto Hospital to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The drug has saved many people from dying of a drug overdose.
Residents can help fight the epidemic by carrying naloxone, the opioid blocker that can stop an overdose. African Americans are dying at a higher rate than whites, experts said at the meeting, held late last month in Austin.
More than 750 people die in Chicago each year from opioid overdose. Join the conversation about what can be done about this public health epidemic. Dinner and childcare will be provided during the event, which will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 27 at Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St.
PCC Community Wellness Center hosted health providers and others earlier this month to discuss how the opioid crisis is affecting them, their employers and their communities.