1 • Wednesday, June 6, 2018 - Shopper’s Guide
Lena Community Park District 609 N. Schuyler St. • Lena
Serving the communities in Stephenson County
Shopper’s Guide
VOL. 80 • NO. 23
Annual
Catfish Tournament Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Launch from McNeil’s Damascus Landing 4998 W. Cedarville Rd., Lena, IL
Trophies and Prizes Awarded For more information call the LCPD at 815-369-5351 or 815-990-0146
YOUR FREE HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
Entry Fe e $20.00 per boa t 317108
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018
COURTESY PHOTO Shopper’s Guide
Civics project
Pearl City second semester Civics Class stands with the 45 care packages they packed for deployed troops
Illinois Lt. Gov. Sanguinetti discusses opioid crises during Orangeville visit EDITOR
According to public health reports, the opioid epidemic killed nearly 11,000 people in Illinois over the last ten years. The opioid crisis developed gradually for many reasons and that is why health, government, and public safety professionals across Illinois are addressing the crisis by working together. “This threat is incredibly real here in Illinois,” said Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, during her recent visit to Orangeville High School where she also spoke in support of the school’s decision to enroll its students in an Advanced Placement education program. She said the epidemic is not subjective and stressed the importance
of treating an addiction as a disease and not simply through punitive measures. “It knows no neighborhood. It knows no color. It knows no class. It is an equal opportunity aggressor,” Sanguinetti said. “People are being very judgmental as to how we deal with this, but science is telling us this is a disease, and we need to handle it as such.” Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed an executive order in fall 2017 creating the Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force, which Sanguinetti co-chairs with Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah. The team is working to address the issue as alarming statistics continue to mount in Illinois. Nearly 1,950 people died of opioid
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overdoses in Illinois in 2016, an 82 percent increase in just three years. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and its analogues are disproportionately contributing to the rise in both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the state, with a tenfold increase from 2013 to 2016. The numbers continue to climb and CDC nationwide statistics currently show one death every twelve minutes from opioid overdose. Opioid abuse is not limited to heroin, but includes a range of highly
addictive prescription pain medications such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine and morphine. Rauner’s Opioid Prevention and Intervention Task Force is taking multiple steps to counter the opioid epidemic. Illinois has launched an all-hours helpline for those affected by opioid addiction. The number for the Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances is (833) 2FINDHELP. According to the Illinois Department of Human Services, the helpline received more than 1,200 calls during
its first year of operation. Gov. Rauner signed legislation requiring prescribers with controlled substance licenses to register with the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program and to check patients’ medical records before prescribing opioids to help prevent “doctor-shopping,” and stem the cycle of abuse. Illinois has also expanded the availability of Naloxone to the public, Naloxone is a medication designed
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