Over the last several years, Kentucky has been awarded multimillion-dollar settlements from pharmacies that helped fuel the opioid crisis.
Now, Hardin County Coroner’s Office is using some of that money to create prevention measures and lower the number of deadly drug overdoses the county has seen.
The county has averaged nearly 45 drug overdoses a year for the last five years:
2020: 41
2021: 50
2022: 55
2023: 37
2024: 39
It is an issue Shana Norton, Hardin County’s chief deputy coroner, has spent several years researching, and knew needed to be addressed.
To help address the problem, the county coroner’s office has helped launch the Quick Response Team. The mission is financially supported by Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Commission, which has received $842 million from settlements reached between the state attorney general’s office and pharmaceutical companies for their role in Kentucky’s opioid crisis. Each county has received a portion of that money to be used toward prevention and treatment.
Starting up Hardin County’s Quick Response Team included hiring Justin Blair to work as the county’s Quick Response Team officer.
Quick Response Team can receive a referral from agencies like EMS, or from an individual’s loved one. When Quick Response Team receives a referral, it will meet with a team of people, including case managers and harm reduction specialists, to discuss the situation. They will then create a plan to address the individual’s situation.
Within 24 to 72 hours of a referral, Quick Response Team will respond to that individual, and try to help get them treatment. If that person does not wish to seek treatment, Quick Response Team will leave them with information for local resources, Narcan and fentanyl test strips. They will not force anythng on anybody.
Hardin County’s Quick Response Team launched its referral system on January 1. Since starting, it has helped one person seek out treatment.
Norton said the person now in treatment was present when another individual died from a drug overdose.
But Blair and Norton said Quick Response Team’s work doesn’t stop there.
Quick Response Team will follow up with individuals once they complete a treatment program, and offer resources to help find things like housing and a job.
Quick Response Team’s ultimate goal is to eliminate drug-related overdoses.
It also hopes to create a ripple effect that helps individuals and other agencies.
Source: WDRB
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