Will County Addresses Overdose, Addiction with Narcan Distribution on Sept. 2

Free boxes of Narcan will be distributed on Thursday, September 2nd at the Bolingbrook Farmers Market at Promenade Mall.

With a 37% increase in opioid overdose deaths across the U.S, Will County officials are working to bring awareness to Illinois’ overdose and addiction health crisis.

Starting September 2, the addiction treatment center Gateway Foundation and the Will County Substance Use Initiatives Office (WCSUI) will locally distribute Narcan, the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug. “Addiction and overdoses are on the rise. We need to raise more awareness and get people to talk about addiction as a brain disease, not a moral failing,” adds Teresa Garate of Gateway Foundation.

Narcan distribution continues Thursdays in September, 5-8 p.m. at the Bolingbrook Promenade Farmers Market.

While the two-pack Narcan boxes are free for the public, the cost of these 800 doses is covered by the Will County Coronavirus Relief Fund.

County leadership, counselors, and addiction recovery coaches will be on-site every Thursday, providing education on recognizing an overdose or addiction, as well as the “how to’s” of Narcan use.