The Illinois Department of Public Health reports EMS responded to more than 20,000 opioid overdoses in 2022.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL)--- The Illinois Department of Public Health reports EMS responded to more than 20,000 opioid overdoses in 2022.The Franklin County Sheriff's Department says it's seen an increase in overdoses and an influx of drugs in the county.
Sheriff Kyle Bacon says they work with local groups like Take Action Today to combat the issue.
“Methamphetamine and fentanyl are a very large problem for us,� Sheriff Bacon said.
Bacon says his department is part of a drug task force to combat fentanyl and other drug issues.
“I would be afraid to even guess how much methamphetamine or how much fentanyl is moving through our communities,� Bacon said.
He says they added a second canine to the office and have staff trained to handle the drug, but also distribute Narcan if needed.
“But I would submit that it would not be outlandish to say that Narcan use is done numerous times a week in our county,� Bacon said.
Sheriff Bacon says his office has recovered large amounts of drugs.
“Multiple days a week, as a result of traffic stops, the use of the canines. Some of that, some of those recoveries have been made based on intelligence that we've received of potentially large amounts,� Bacon said.
The Assistant Director Dan Pyles at Take Action Today in West Frankfort says they work with the Franklin County Sheriff's office to help people get access to recovery.
“Just in the month of February, we had over ten new participants. We took on many of those. Not all, but many of those did involve something fentanyl-related,� Pyles said.
Dan Pyles says they have a crisis response team that will get calls about overdoses from the county.
“We're able to go out, meet with that individual, provide them with the resources they need, and hopefully gain a participant that we can get them into treatment,� Pyles said.
Pyles says they are also helping people in Williamson and Jackson County.
“It's gonna be hard to stop this epidemic, but we can definitely put a dent in it, and we put a dent in it by being proactive, by stepping in, being that resource and providing those strips, providing Narcan for the community,� Pyles said.
