JANESVILLE — The number of drug overdoses dropped in Rock County last year, mirroring a national decrease.
Rock County Public Health Strategist Shari Faber said the drop is the result of a collaborative effort among organizations and agencies across the county.
“It is a complicated issue that needs to be addressed in multiple areas and angles, and we are so happy to work with other organizations to be able to provide that,” Faber said.
“The progress made in regard to the opioid crisis is a great example of the power of collaboration across agencies in responding to a complex issue. Although the trends are encouraging, the efforts to reduce overdoses are never over,” a Rock County Public Health release further said.
Compared to 2022, preliminary data released Wednesday shows a 13% decrease in overdoses in the county in 2023 while nationally overdose deaths declined by 3%.
That’s a sharper year-over-year decrease than from 2021 to 2022, when Rock County saw a 9% decrease and that came as overdoses were rising nationally, according to Rock County Public Health.
EMS overdose calls
EMS calls for overdoses decreased 41% between 2021 to 2023, the health department also said, and weekly average emergency department visits for opioid overdose dropped 63% between 2021 and 2023.
In 2021, Rock County’s EMS calls for overdose were frequently higher than the state average, but since April of 2022, have stayed below the state average, the health department said.
“Overdoses are horrible situations that EMS and fire departments respond to. These situations not only are extremely sad for family members, but also everyone involved,” Town of Beloit Fire Department Lt. Addison Sennett said in a release Wednesday. “A reduction in overdose calls makes a difference and we are thankful for the collaborative efforts of Rock County Public Health and all of their partners.”
Local efforts to reduce overdoses
Since 2021, efforts to bring down the number of overdoses in Rock County have included Rock County Public Health’s creation in 2022 of an Overdose Fatality Review team. Its charge was to investigate the factors contributing to fatal overdoses and to recommend changes to prevent overdoses.
In February 2023, Rock County Public Health launched a program in which first responders left behind “Hope Kits” for overdose survivors, with harm reduction supplies and resources.
In March 2023, Rock County Public Health noticed an uptick in deaths where cocaine and fentanyl were combined and used grant funds to raise awareness, with a bar coaster campaign about the presence of fentanyl in other drugs.
Later in 2023, it sponsored a multimedia campaign called “Rock4Hope” focused on reducing stigma and promoting recovery from addiction.
Vending machines
Naloxone/NARCAN training and the location of vending machines and emergency boxes with naloxone have also helped save lives.
The first naloxone vending machine was placed at the Rock County jail in December 2022. A second vending machine, which also contains fentanyl test strips, opened in August 2023 at the Beloit Public Library. Recently, several additional vending options have been added around the county.
In June of 2022, Rock County held its first Overdose Fatality Review meeting. The effort is led by Rock County Public Health and includes members from human services, the sheriff’s office, local health systems, local police departments, local fire departments, drug treatment providers, local towns/cities, harm reduction providers, peer support specialists, the Department of Corrections and the State Lab of Hygiene.
During reviews this team identifies factors that contributed to the death, missed opportunities for intervention and systems gaps. It then recommends system or policy changes, awareness campaigns or other activities that could prevent future deaths.
Opioid settlement funds
Rock County Public Health also shared, in it release Wedesday, an update on how Opioid settlement funds have been used in the past year.
Treatment was identified as a need in Rock County. Community Health Systems were awarded $350,000 to start an intensive outpatient treatment program in Beloit.
Sober living was also identified as a very high need, and three additional sober living residences will be opening in Rock County with support from the funds. Sunrise Sober Living is opening a home for up to 10 residents. Life Worth Living is opening a a sober living home for up to six female residents. Pathways Sober Living is addressing housing that accommodates residents and their minor children. Each home received between $100,000 and $200,000.
Additionally, a current contract with Justice Point has been expanded by $100,000 to allow for more early screening and referral to treatment as people enter the criminal justice system. Up to $50,000 of the funds will pay for medication for opioid use disorder for inmates being released from jail.
Prevention efforts are being funded for the following organizations and projects:
• Janesville Mobilizing 4 Change (JM4C) was awarded $70,000 to implement Teen Intervene, a substance use intervention program for teens in Rock County and facilitate youth leadership groups in Janesville Middle Schools.
• Youth2Youth4Change (Y2Y) was awarded $10,000 to implement a mental health curriculum, Managing My Mental Health, at 2 afterschool programs in Beloit.
• Building a Safer Evansville (BASE) was awarded $10,000 to implement 2 evidence-based programs, Question, Persuade, Refer-QPR (a suicide prevention program) and Catch My Breath (a vaping prevention program).
• Milton Youth Coalition (MYC) was awarded $10,000 to offer Strengthening Families, an evidence-based program for families with children ages 10-14 years that is shown to improve communication in families and subsequently reduce substance abuse and delinquency risk factors.
“One of the guiding principles of the Opioid Settlement Workgroup was transparency around the spending of these funds and we will continue to provide updates as the funds are allocated,” the release said.
Faber said the opioid funds were intentionally distributed to 3 different areas: opioid death prevention, harm reduction, and treatment in the county.
“We did a community evaluation or assessment to help us to identify what the needs are to help us decide what the money should be allocated for,” she said.
She said it has been inspiring to work with other organizations and to hear from people who have struggled with drug abuse and come back from that.
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