Elk Grove Village group gets federal grant to battle opioid abuse
An Elk Grove Village group has received a $385,000 federal grant to fight suburban opioid abuse, officials announced Saturday.
Elk Grove Village Cares will serve as a regional supply point for naloxone, a drug that can be used to reverse the potentially fatal effects of opioid overdoses. It will provide the drug to interested community groups and towns, according to a news release.
Elk Grove Village Cares will partner with the Kenneth Young Center, a mental health facility based in the village, and a nonprofit group called Live4Lali to provide naloxone training and resources, too.
Additionally, participating groups will work to develop strategies to connect overdose survivors with treatment programs and recovery support services, the news release said.
Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg will benefit from the program, according to the release.
The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
"The grant really validates the approach we are taking to save lives, get more people into treatment and remove the stigma around opioid addiction," Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said in the release.