Lake County Opioid Initiative leaders present at national conference

Leaders of the Lake County Opioid Initiative were invited by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to talk about the program at a national conference in Indianapolis this week, officials said.

Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim and Chelsea Laliberte, executive director of Live4Lali, discussed the initiative at the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies' 43rd Annual Conference, officials said in a news release Wednesday.

Laliberte was invited to describe how the opioid initiative was developed, highlighting the overdose prevention program for first responders, officials said. She also discussed the epidemic of opioids and their effect on the brain and body, and addiction and overdose prevention, officials said.

Nerheim presented on legal issues related to outfitting first responders with Naloxone and the Illinois Good Samaritan Overdose Law, officials said.

Both provided details on how the initiative was formed, its membership, program development and implementation, officials said.

"The Lake County Opioid Initiative is a phenomenal example of how community members, elected officials and leaders can unite to create powerful change," Laliberte said in the news release. "It's truly a 'think global, act local' approach. With passion, organization and innovation, anything is possible. It's something I am privileged to be a part of."

Laliberte's younger brother, Alex Laliberte, 20, died from an overdose in 2008. She teamed with Nerheim to turn the tragedy into the solutions-focused response founded on awareness and advocacy.

​The National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies' mission is to promote pretrial justice and public safety through rational pretrial decision making and practices informed by evidence, officials said.