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 The helpline will provide a confidential outlet for
individuals experiencing opioid use disorders, their families and
anyone affected by the disease 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Helpline specialists are trained in evidence-based approaches to
help connect callers with treatment and recovery-support services.
To reach the helpline, individuals can call 1-833-2FINDHELP.
“This helpline will provide a quick way for Illinoisans struggling
with dangerous addictions to access resources, treatment options,
and support,” Gov. Rauner said. “We are focused on helping them get
on the road to recovery to combat further drug overdose tragedies.”
In launching the helpline, Rauner is fulfilling his promise to
tackle the opioid crisis and combat the growing number of overdose
deaths related to heroin, other opioids, and synthetics like
fentanyl. Administration officials have been meeting throughout the
year to establish an agenda to combat the epidemic. Rauner unveiled
the Opioid Action Plan and signed Executive Order 17-05, creating
the Opioid Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force this
year. The task force was charged with building strategies that would
help reduce projected opioid overdose-related deaths by one-third
within the next three years.
Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti and Illinois Department of Public Health
(IDPH) Director Nirav Shah co-chair the task force, which was
responsible for implementing new programs and policies.
“Our growing opioid epidemic is a national emergency that knows no
neighborhood, no color and no class. It’s an equal-opportunity
aggressor that is destroying lives,” Sanguinetti said. “I’m grateful
our task force was able to meet the governor’s deadline to launch
these programs and save lives. I’m excited to know the helpline is
now available for people to take that important first step, and ask
for help.”
IDPH data shows opioid overdoses killed 1,946 people
in Illinois in 2016 — more than one and a half times the number of
homicides and nearly twice the number of fatal motor vehicle
accidents. In addition, data from the Illinois Department of Human
Services (IDHS) estimates that approximately 248,000 Illinois
residents need, but do not receive, treatment for illicit drug use.
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“We live in a world where stigma prevents individuals from coming
forward and asking for help. Treating opioid use disorder like any other disease
is just the first step in combatting this horrible crisis. We also must make
treatment accessible,” said Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary
James Dimas, who helped get the helpline up and running. “It will never be easy,
but with strong support and access to treatment through services like the
helpline, we can help save these lives.”
The opioid task force has been traveling across Illinois to learn first-hand
about the challenges communities are experiencing and ways the State can assist.
“We’ve heard about the successes of drug court and law enforcement safe passage
programs. We’ve also learned about the challenges of longer-term follow-up care
and continued support services,” Shah said. “The input we are receiving from
health care providers, law enforcement, people affected by opioid use disorder,
community organizations, and mental health professionals will help inform our
efforts as we move toward implementing the Opioid Action Plan.
“We’re hopeful the new 24-hour helpline will connect people with the services
they need and address some of the challenges communities face.”
Another policy established under Executive Order 17-05 was a Standing Order to
make the overdose reversal drug Naloxone (Narcan) available to first responders
and members of communities across Illinois, without a prescription. The order
was issued by IDPH in October.
The Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances is funded by federal grant dollars
that the State of Illinois secured from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. The Opioid State Targeted Response grant is
administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Alcoholism
and Substance Abuse.
If you or someone you know is experiencing opioid use disorder, call
1-833-2FINDHELP.
[Office of the Governor Bruce Rauner] |
