Daily Herald opinion: With new mental health panel, DuPage County keeps up battle against addiction, illness

It's been a decade since DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen sounded the alarm about a spike in heroin overdose deaths in the county. Sadly, the problem has only grown worse and more complex since then, but, as recent actions show, the county leaders continue to adapt.

In 2013, DuPage experienced what was, up to that point, a record number of heroin-related deaths. Forty-six people died from the drug that year in the county.

Jorgensen and other county leaders responded by trying to educate the public about the dangers of heroin and other drugs. The DuPage County Board also provided funding to deal with the crisis - a move it has repeated every year since.

To their credit, county officials realized that a multifaceted approach was needed to battle opioid abuse. They started the DuPage Narcan Program, which trains first responders on how to administer the opiate overdose reversal drug Narcan.

Another significant step was the formation of the Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce in 2018. The interagency group assessed opioid use in the county and recommended policies, initiatives and programs to combat the epidemic.

However, the fight has become increasingly complex, especially with the prevalence of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

Last year, 150 people died from overdoses in DuPage, up from 137 in 2021, according to Jorgensen. The coroner also reported that heroin is less common and fentanyl-related deaths have continued to rise.

And as senior writer Katlyn Smith reported earlier this month, experts say addiction and mental health issues are often interconnected.

As they have done previously, DuPage officials are adapting their search for solutions to the evolving problem.

Several months ago, DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy unveiled a plan to replace the HOPE Taskforce. A new panel - the DuPage Council on Strengthening the System for Mental Health and Substance Use Care - will expand on the work of the task force to also address mental health and substance abuse disorder needs.

"This bold new initiative will integrate our vision for mental health diagnoses and treatment plans with our efforts to reduce substance use disorder in DuPage County," Conroy said in September. "Because these struggles are so often intertwined, it makes sense to embrace a new mission."

The council, which met for the first time last week, will work to provide recommendations to county officials regarding mental health and substance use disorder care, programming and public awareness. Its members include community advocates, public health and medical professionals, police and fire chiefs, and state and county elected officials, including Jorgensen.

Next week, county board members will vote on a budget for the 2024 fiscal year that includes an initial annual investment of $250,000 in county funding to support the council. Meanwhile, DuPage is preparing to break ground in the spring on a $25.8 million center to help those experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

While the number of opioid-related deaths in DuPage continues to shock and sadden us, we are encouraged by the commitment of county officials to try to reverse the trend. They understand the long battle against opioid abuse is far from over. We applaud them for continuing the fight.