Lake County Opioid Initiative Expands 'A Way Out' Program

LAKE ZURICH, IL — The Lake Zurich Police Department and the Waukegan Police Department are the two newest entry points for the Lake County Opioid Initiative's (LCOI) 'A Way Out' (AWO) program. LCOI says with the two new additions, there are now 13 AWO police entry points across Lake County which have helped 395 participants to access treatment since the program's start two years ago.

As substance abuse is a continuing issue, the AWO program was developed by the LCOI to create additional treatment access points where people can request help, reduce crime, reduce substance-related harms and re-frame the role law enforcement plays in community safety, LCOI says.

Police officials at participating departments work with the Lake County Health Department to find appropriate treatment for the person seeking help.

“The City of Waukegan is very grateful for the opportunity to join this program," said Wayne Walles, Waukegan Police Chief, in a release. "This will be another tool that the Waukegan Police Department will have to combat the opioid crisis and further assist our residents and their families in mitigating the direct and indirect effects of opioid abuse.”

Steve Husak, Chief of the Lake Zurich Police Department, said their department is looking forward to being able to offer treatment options through the AWO program for those who need them.

"This is a vital community care-taking function that the Department is committed to,” Husak said in a release.

TheLWOI says the eleven other police departments currently participating in the program include:

• Deerfield Police Department
• Fox Lake Police Department
• Grayslake Police Department
• Gurnee Police Department
• Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff’s Marine Unit, Sheriff’s Highway Patrol
• Lake Forest Police Department
• Libertyville Police Department
• Mundelein Police Department
• Round Lake Beach Police Department
• Round Lake Park Police Department
• Zion Police Department

According to the LCOI, the number of individuals helped into a treatment provider by year are 60 people in 2016, 209 in 2017, 96 up to May 2018, with AWO averaging just over 15 participants each month. 78 percent of AWO's placement is to residential treatment programs.

The LCOI has launched other programs to help those affected by the opioid epidemic and also supports a network of prescription disposal boxes in Lake County. Those programs and disposal box locations can be found at awayoutlc.org.

If you'd like to support these programs, the LCOI will be hosting its first annual Save a Life fundraising event at the Double-Tree by Hilton in Mundelein on Sept. 14.

More: opioidinitiative.org

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