Kane County seeing fewer fatal opioid overdoses, as county prevention efforts continue

The number of fatal opioid overdoses among Kane County residents declined again in 2025, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The county saw 32 fatal opioid overdoses in 2025, the state data shows, which is down one from 33 in 2024 and considerably lower than years prior — in which annual death counts were as high as 78.

This pattern aligns with what’s been going on in surrounding counties. Cook, Lake and DuPage, for example, have also seen their numbers of annual deaths tick down, according to figures from the state’s department of public health.

Data provided by Kane County shows similar numbers.

According to county coroner’s data provided by Kane County Health Department Executive Director Michael Isaacson, there were 35 opioid-related deaths in 2025, compared to 31 in 2024 and figures more than double that in some of the years prior. The reason for the difference in the figures reported by the state and the Kane County Coroner’s Office is that the coroner’s data represents the number of such deaths that occurred in the county, rather than the number of county residents who died of opioid-related overdoses, according to Kane County Health Department staff.

Nationally, fatal opioid overdoses surged after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with deaths cresting in 2022 and 2023. But Chicago, along with other major cities across the country like New York and Philadelphia, saw major drops in fatal opioid overdoses last year.

In Kane County, at least, Isaacson attributed the higher numbers in prior years to a couple of factors.

Some of it can likely be attributed to the availability of opioids in the community, Isaacson said, including fentanyl.

Another part of it, he thinks, was the isolation and difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have — at least anecdotally — made it difficult for folks in recovery to stay in recovery.

But some steps have been taken in the county and beyond to help prevent opioid overdose deaths.

One of the main differences nowadays, Isaacson said, is more widespread availability of naloxone, a nasal medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

In 2024, for example, the medication was used more than 50 times to save a life in Kane County.

“In order for us to help somebody get into recovery,” Isaacson said, “we need to make sure they’re alive.”

The county health department started its naloxone program around a decade ago, Isaacson said, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2023 approval of the medication being sold without a prescription further expanded public access to it.

Naloxone is available for free throughout Kane County at local libraries, police departments, campuses, gas stations and more. A map of where it’s available can be found at kanehealthatlas.org/insights/qgztm1o4.

The county has also done training work with physicians and other healthcare providers, Isaacson said.

Additionally, according to Isaacson, there’s generally been an increase in access to treatment, including access to healthcare via telehealth, and an increase in dialogue around substance use issues.

Reducing stigma is another continued priority for the county, according to Isaacson.

In 2024, for example, the county health department launched a campaign meant to bring awareness to the opioid crisis in Kane County and beyond by sharing the stories of those who struggle with opioid addiction or are otherwise impacted by the crisis.

More recently, the county has undertaken efforts like holding a training last month to teach residents how to recognize an opioid overdose and administer naloxone.

The county health department also offers a directory to help residents find doctors who can help with Medication-Assisted Recovery for opioid use. The directory is available at kanehealth.com/opioid-awareness/Pages/buprenorphinedirectory.aspx.

“We’re proving that these interventions are working,” Isaacson said in light of the recent decline in deaths. “So … we’re just doubling down and, and trying to do even more.”

The Associated Press and the Tribune’s Sam Charles contributed.