The Greene County Health Department is doing all it can to help fight against opioid overdoses.
Greene County Health Department Administrator Molly Peters issued a press release on Monday in the wake of two North Mac students who had been found with marijuana laced with fentanyl and a recent scare at Graham Correctional Facility.
Peters says the Greene County community needs to do more to protect itself from this deadly epidemic.
Peters says that over the last year, the health department has distributed 660 doses of the life-saving overdose drug Naloxone – also known as Narcan throughout the Greene County community: “For the Community Health Division in Greene County, we are working hard to get information out about Naloxone and Narcan. In general, we’re worried about a lot of people because overdose deaths have dramatically increased, and we want to make sure that people have access to this life-saving medication. So, we are going to school districts, community locations, restaurants, and individuals that have family members who may have needs to get this medication out there to reduce death. It’s a life-saving medication that can be used similar to an A.E.D. as an example, but the stigma surrounding it just sad for all the families with people that have substance use in their family and struggle daily. They know the need for this medication readily available to anyone in this community.”
Peters says Narcan is readily available to anyone without risk or concern in the county. To learn more, you can call the Greene County Community Health Team at 217-942-9691 extension 6.
Peters says the ROSC Council is another tool the county is using to help reverse the opioid crisis: “The ROSC Community Council is Scott and Greene [counties] kind of coordinating, getting stakeholders and partners involved so that people are advocating for resources and supports that are needed and necessary for communities who are facing this crisis, especially with fentanyl being so prevalent and with so many deaths.”
Peters says that ultimately people should talk to their families about substance use and abuse and to talk to juveniles about the purchase and use of street drugs.