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Arlington Heights Launches Community Effort To Battle Opioid Addiction


Collaborators on the new Community Addiction and Recovery Effort (C.A.R.E) gather for press conference Thursday, July 26, 2018 at Arlington Heights Village Hall. (Photo by Emma Dempsey)

The Illinois Department of Public Health projects that 2,155 Illinois residents will die from an accidental drug overdose in 2018. Having lost her own brother due to substance abuse, Chelsea Laliberte, co-founder and executive director at Arlington Heights-based Live4Lali, emphasized the importance of developing recovery programs that “meet people where they’re at,” rather than expecting people battling addiction to seek help on their own.

Arlington Heights police and fire departments have partnered with Linden Oaks Behavioral Health at Northwest Community Hospital (NCH), Live4Lali, the Addiction Policy Forum, and Omni Youth Services to create the Community Addiction and Recovery Effort (C.A.R.E). C.A.R.E. is what Village Manager Randy Recklaus describes as an “interdisciplinary approach” to a recovery program for Arlington Heights residents battling substance-use disorder and/or addiction.

The village held a press conference Thursday morning (July 26) to present the program. Representatives from the village, the police and fire departments and the partners of the program were present at the conference to describe the role each organization plays in this program.

Recklaus remarked that although Arlington Heights is a safe place, “that doesn’t mean we’re immune to problems and it doesn’t mean we should ignore the ones we have.” He described the uptake in addiction related issues in Arlington Heights in recent years as a driving force behind the C.A.R.E initiative.

Before Arlington Heights police Commander Joe Pinnello introduced specifics of the program, Police Chief Gerald Mourning described police efforts already in place to help battle substance abuse including community awareness and prevention activities and the department’s involvement in the North Central Narcotic Task Force. Mourning also noted that Arlington Heights police officers are equipped with Narcan, a medication used to treat narcotic overdoses in an emergency situation.

Pinnello presented C.A.R.E. as the result of an 18-month collaboration between the village and its various partners that offers multiple points of entry to residents seeking help. The program includes 24-hour access to trained professionals for screening, assessment and treatment, transportation to treatment centers at no cost, follow-up with program members, and treatment options regardless of the resident’s financial or insurance situations.

Tracy Collander, executive director of Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Department at NCH, expressed her delight at being involved with such a program. “I can’t say how thrilled we are to be at the table with this community,” Collander said. “This is a proactive way to get people the help they need in a timely manner.”

Linden Oaks Behavioral Services runs a 24-hour call center that can be reached at 847-HEALING. Linden Oaks representatives are available for assessments from 7 a.m to 11 p.m. throughout the week. As part of the C.A.R.E. program, Linden Oaks offers residential treatment, outpatient services, an addiction medicine clinic and mental health services.

Northwest Community Medical Director of Addictive Disorders, Dr. Shalu Gugnani, noted that when she joined NCH three and a half years ago, there were “virtually no addiction services.” With programs like C.A.R.E, treatment options are recommended according to evidence-based assessments that determine which course of treatment best suits the patient. Dr. Gugnani described recovery as a continuum, noting that it does not end after one visit.

Fire Division Chief Richard Manthy noted that C.A.R.E programs will be available on all ambulances and in all fire stations in Arlington Heights.

Omni Youth Services President Doryce McCarthy explained that Omni serves to provide immediate responses during nighttime hours, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. She also noted that Omni is working with Arlington Heights Human Services in providing outpatient care, although there is no medication administration at the Omni facilities.

Laliberte described Live4Lali’s harm-reduction based approach, focused on meeting patients where they are at. Live4Lali offers various free services including education programs, recovery initiatives and peer-to-peer mentoring.

Lori Simms, Addiction Policy Forum clinical director, described Addiction Policy Forum’s nationwide call center, available Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Donya Vazquez provided testimony regarding her battle with substance abuse and her experience with a Lake County program similar to C.A.R.E. Vazquez described her addiction as having “become a full-time job.” Though she wanted help, she was apprehensive about approaching law enforcement. When Vazquez finally made her way into a police station, in poor mental and physical health, she was not met by punishment or judgement. Once hospitalized, she was introduced to the program “A Way Out.” Vazquez credits the program for her successful recovery — a recovery she noted might have been impossible. “What is happening here, in this community, is a gift,” Vazquez said of Arlington Heights’ C.A.R.E.

Laliberte noted that most recovery programs involve just police. Collander commended C.A.R.E. for being “so much more comprehensive.” Collander pointed out that patients and partners of the program can rely on the village for transportation to treatment centers and volunteers from Live4Lali. She also expressed how important it is that residents struggling with addiction know that the police department is there to support them, not arrest them.

Arlington Heights C.A.R.E. program mirrors Elk Grove Village Cares, a similar opioid addiction treatment program recently started by Elk Grove Village.

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