Lake County health officials encourage people to bring naloxone to holiday gatherings
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Lake County Health Department is suggesting you bring more than just a side dish to your Thanksgiving feast. They'd also like you to bring naloxone, more widely known as Narcan, which is used to treat opioid overdoses.
Lake County Health Department spokeswoman Emily Young said overdoses can happen at anytime.
"We encourage folks to have naloxone with them all year long, but we especially encourage it around the holidays," she said. "We always say it's better to be prepared and not need it than need it and not have it,"
Young said many people travel for the holidays, and end up spending time with people they're not normally around.
"You never know what the folks in your lives are going through," Young said. "You don't know if you have a connection to substance abuse disorder, or if someone in your life does."
Young also noted the holidays can cause many people to struggle with emotional problems that can drive them to substance abuse.
"While many people enjoy the holiday season, it can also lead to feelings of depression, loneliness, increased stress, and as a result we can see increased levels of substance use," she said.
Last year, Lake County had 123 deaths from drug overdoses, about the same number as 2021 and 2022. So far in 2024, Lake County has seen 94 drug overdose deaths.
"A big part of the program is getting people to place those orders, but also destigmatizing substance use disorder, and empowering our community to know what to do in the event of an overdose," Young said.
Lake County has been using ads on Facebook to encourage people to bring naloxone to family gatherings during the holidays.
Since those ads started running, Lake County has received more than 260 orders for naloxone kits in five days, compared to about 17 orders in the same time period last year.
"So we know Facebook is really working, and we really encourage people to have naloxone with them all winter long," Young said.
So far this year, the county has distributed 11,700 naloxone kits.