Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced plans to increase efforts to overcome the opioid epidemic and increase access to addiction treatment.
The city will provide $700,000 to fund opioid addiction recovery treatment for 1,000 Chicago residents this year, thanks to partnerships with the Cook County Jail as well as community providers on the south and west side.
The announcement comes on the heels of Chicago’s significant investment in naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. In Chicago, more than 1,500 lives have been saved over the past year because of naloxone and the Chicago Recovery Alliance has distributed over 4,500 naloxone kits funded by the money received from the city.
The funds will be shared among seven community organizations which primarily focus on Chicago’s south and west sides. The funding will be distributed through the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, allowing the community organizations to increase access to opioid addiction treatment.
Community organizations that will receive part of the funding include Access Community Health Network, Esperanza Health Center, Haymarket Center, Lawndale Christian Health Center, PCC Wellness, Sinai Health System, and the Women’s Treatment Center. These organizations will provide addiction recovery treatment to Chicago residents across the city, while Cermak Health will partner with the Cook County Jail to provide addiction recovery services to those within the jail system. Funding will be made available to additional organizations in order to allow them to increase their capacity to provide addiction recovery treatment to the residents of Chicago.
The funding will increase access to community screening interventions, medically assisted treatment, and other evidence-based treatment strategies. Funding will be used to provide evidence-based… (continue reading)
