Saving Lives First: Empowering first responders and communities with naloxone, training, and post-overdose interventions - This proposed grant “Saving Lives First: Empowering First Responders and Communities with Naloxone, Training, and Post-Overdose Interventions” will deliver a coordinated, statewide initiative across all 102 Illinois counties. The project focuses on expanding access to opioid overdose reversal medications (OORMs), strengthening first responder training, improving referral systems for individuals who experience overdose, and deepening partnerships with community organizations to broaden outreach. Through this approach, first responders will be equipped not only with lifesaving tools but also with knowledge of overdose prevention, emerging drug trends, safety considerations, and Illinois’ Good Samaritan Laws. Participating agencies will also distribute OORM leave‑behind kits and connect individuals to treatment and recovery pathways through linkage to care programs. The catchment area of over 10 million residents represents 78.6% of Illinois’ population, covering all counties except the city of Chicago and including 100% of rural counties. Demographically, the area is nearly evenly split by gender, with 30 percent of residents aged 35–64 representing the group disproportionately affected by opioid overdose. Additional characteristics include a median household income of approximately $80,000, although poverty rates remain significant, particularly among adults aged 18 and older. Over the four‑year project period, the initiative will train 7,500 individuals, beginning with 1,500 in the first year. IDPH anticipates that community‑based partners will contact at least 100 recently overdosed or at‑risk individuals annually, providing resources and support to help them access recovery services. Approximately 65 percent of these individuals are expected to be successfully linked to treatment, resulting in an estimated 495 people receiving resources and 325 entering care throughout the grant period. The project directly advances SAMHSA’s strategic priorities by strengthening prevention efforts through widespread education, expanding crisis response by ensuring first responders are equipped with OORMs, and improving access to evidence‑based treatment through coordinated referral pathways. By tracking trainings, overdose reversals, follow‑up contacts, and linkage‑to‑care outcomes, the initiative fosters a data‑driven, evidence-based model that expands capacity and engages communities in sustained recovery efforts. Performance will be assessed through several core measures. Agencies will track the number of first responders equipped with OORMs and the number trained in overdose prevention. Both ILEAS and the community‑based organizations will document post‑overdose contacts, referral outcomes, and one‑month treatment engagement, including demographic information on individuals served. Together, these measures will demonstrate progress toward reducing fatal overdoses and increasing access to care and recovery services statewide.
