BURLINGTON — Kenosha and Racine county executives joined on International Overdose Awareness Day to highlight the damaging impact that opioids have had on both communities in recent years.
Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave briefed reporters Wednesday at Burlington’s Echo Veterans Memorial Park. Accompanied by local health and human services agencies, the county leaders presented a joint proclamation on substance abuse and rising rates of overdoses.
“Our counties reflect a national trend of increasing drug overdose deaths, with toxicity deaths taking the lives of 53 people in Kenosha County, 53 people in Racine County, and a record of more than 107,600 people nationwide in 2021,” the proclamation reads. “(Rising) rates of drug overdoses are indicative of a growing health crisis in our communities, our state, and throughout our country.”
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Delagrave said that each human life is valuable.
“Each of these 53 deaths in Racine County and Kenosha County is devastating,” Delegrave said. “It’s a devastating reminder of the terrible impact opioids have throughout our counties and respective communities.”
‘Overcome the scourge’
He said both counties are committed to providing the resources people need to “overcome the scourge of opioid and mitigate the terrible consequences of overdoses.”
“We are committed to winning this battle,” he said. “On this Overdose Awareness Day we are reminded that we cannot end overdoses without first destigmatizing addiction and getting our residents the tools to improve their mental and physical wellness.”
Delegrave said overdose kits with NARCAN, a nasal spray that can help treat narcotic overdoses in emergency situations, have been installed county buildings. He said Racine County also offers same-day or next-day appointments for individuals struggling with addiction.
“If you know somebody or you know somebody that knows somebody, we can provide same-day or next-day services to mitigate addiction and hopefully not incur anymore overdoses,” he said. “Racine County Behavioral Health also offers free NARCAN and training on administering the medication for opioid overdose to residents. NARCAN in conjunction with free fentanyl testing strips support the county’s harm reduction efforts and our residents with life-saving tools.”
Racine County recently received its first settlement payment resulting from opioid litigation and will soon receive guidance to help maximize the impact that these funds can have on the county’s approach to opioid dependency and overdose deaths, Delagrave added.
“Lastly,” Delagrave said, “both of our communities recognize the necessity to tackling lethal fentanyl. This synthetic drug, which is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, has been introduced to illicit street drugs with deadly results. We must educate our residents and support our law enforcement officers as they contend with this crisis.”
‘Go unit’ in Kenosha County
In Kenosha County, a Human Services on the Go mobile unit recently distributed more than 400 NARCAN kits at the Kenosha County Fair and other community events over the summer, Kerkman said. That distribution was in addition to the more than 800 kits that Kenosha County Public Health has distributed to EMS personnel and members of the community at large.
“Bringing attention to overdoses is really important. It crosses gender, race and economic lines,” she said. “This is a crisis that is affecting every corner of our counties, and of our state and of our nation. To that end, Kenosha County has worked proactively to stem the issue and stem substance abuse.”
Kerkman said Kenosha County continues to forge partnerships to work together to destigmatize treatment for substance abuse.
Examples of this include a $150,000 state grant that the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services recently secured to expand medically assisted treatment in the county jail, as well as the Kenosha Overdose Response Initiative. The latter aims to provide follow-up services to all individuals in Kenosha County who survive overdoses with a team of public health professionals, paramedics and peer support specialists.
“Kenosha County has been a leader in medically assisted treatment,” Kerkman said. “I want to stress that recovery is possible.”
The last day of August is recognized worldwide as a day to remember those who died from drug overdoses and to help acknowledge the grief that their families, friends, and communities face.
Both counties offer 24/7 crisis lines to assist those struggling with substance abuse. Kenosha County’s crisis number is 262-657-7188; Racine County’s is 262-638-6741.
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