AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/tag/west-side-heroin-task-force/)
Narcan – a medicine that can reverse an overdose – doesn’t work with xylazine, making deadly overdoses more likely, local health officials say. The Cook County medical examiner’s office found 236 xylazie-related deaths over the course of five years, with the numbers increasing each year.
The West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force offers training each month to help reduce the record number of overdose deaths.
The Chicago Police Department has expanded its narcotics arrest diversion program to the 15th District in Austin. It helps individuals apprehended for opioid-related offenses by allowing them to seek treatment when they’re arrested.
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.
Several residents share the stories of friends and loved ones who’ve struggled with drug addiction.