Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is getting a lot of attention right now for their (rather excellent) handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s a good thing for us to remember that they are still putting time and energy into the many other programs that help keep our community healthy.
One of those is the Overdose Prevention Program. This team is working to reduce opiate overdoses through education and the distribution of Narcan, a medication that mitigates the effects of an overdose and is offered free through CUPHD. They also partner with the Carle Addiction Recovery Center to increase access to drug treatment. Their efforts have saved 34 lives so far this year.
August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day; you can read more about that, and find additional resources about drug treatment and recovery on the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
Image from International Overdose Awareness Day Facebook page.