Free Community Naloxone Training Event Dec. 14th
Guest registration required by December 11th

[November 19, 2018]  Painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine and methadone can be prescribed by doctors to treat moderate to severe pain. Brand names of these drugs include OxyContin®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, Percodan®, Tylox®, and Demerol®. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever and is many times more powerful than other opioids. Heroin is an illegal opioid. All these opioids can have serious risks and side effects according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reports that from 1999 to 2016, 197,000 people died from overdoses related to prescription opioids and 48.5 million Americans have used illicit drugs or misused prescription medication. The most common drugs involved in prescription opioid overdose deaths include oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and methadone.

On Friday, December 14 from 9am-10:30am a free community event will be held at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln for those who want to learn more about opioids, signs of withdrawal, the Good Samaritan Law, medication assisted treatment, reducing overdose risk, and how naloxone can reverse an overdose. Naloxone kits will be distributed at no cost to those attending.

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Community Health Collaborative’ s Opioid Task Force has been leading the community effort to reduce opioid use, overdose in death in Logan County since February 2016.

“The opioid crisis is nationwide and not unique to Logan County but we have had tremendous collaboration with a variety of local community partners to address the issue here. And while we have had many accomplishments, we recognize that there is still a need to reach out to residents so they can better understand addiction as a disease and how naloxone, the reversal drug, can give people a second chance. This addiction can happen to anyone,” said Angela Stoltzenburg, director of the ALMH Community Health Collaborative.

The presentation will be given by Christopher Schaffner, a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counselor from the Human Service Center in Peoria. HSC received a federal grant to distribute the kits and provide community education.

Due to limited seating, registration is required by December 11 by e-mailing [e-mail] or calling 217-605-5008.
 

Individuals affected by an opioid use disorder, including families and anyone affected by the disease, are encouraged to use the statewide 24 hours a day/7 days a week helpline as a first step to finding help. To reach the helpline, individuals can call 1-833-2FINDHELP.

The Lincoln Police Department also encourages individuals affected by any substance use disorder to visit the Lincoln Police Department and ask for the Safe Passages Program. Safe Passage participants will be placed into appropriate treatment. The Lincoln Police Department will facilitate entry to treatment, including transportation, and act as a part of a necessary support system.

[Angela L. Stoltzenburg, MBA
Community Health Collaborative, Director
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]