27 / 68
2017 Wellness Expo
Lincoln Daily News Wednesday, February 15, 2017 Page 27
Addiction to heroin is growing at a rapid pace
throughout the country. The drug is highly
addictive and easy to get hold of, plus it is
cheap, making it easier for even those with
meager means to obtain and use the drug.
The HCP began holding monthly meetings
drawing participation from local schools
and churches, law enforcement, medical
professionals, and many others with an
interest in curtailing drug use in our county.
The work began with adoption of a ‘Four
Pillars’ approach. The four components:
Prevention – Treatment - Enforcement -
Harm reduction.
Now identified as the Heroin Task Force, the
large group broke into four focus groups.
Then groups began alternating meetings as
small groups aiming at assessment, direction
and action; then sharing with the larger group.
Because the heroin is active locally, the
treatment and harm reduction pillars became
a very important first step for Logan County.
Nadia Klekamp of Chestnut Health Systems
shared some statistics on heroin:
• Heroin use has increased significantly in the
past few years, and it continues to rise.
• The number of people who die from heroin-
related overdoses in the United States is
nearly four times what it was a decade ago.
• Heroin use and overdose has increased
significantly in Logan County over the past
ten years.
• Twenty-three percent of people who use
heroin become dependent on it, making it the
most addictive drug.
By Nila Smith
Continued
u
E
arly in 2016 the Healthy Communities Partnership in Logan
County set a new goal, to wage war on drug addiction in our
community. More specifically, to reduce the number of opioid related
drug addictions that exists in all age ranges.
Community wages
cohesive comprehensive
war on drugs in
Logan County