The 17th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Family Health Challenge day of service will focus on the opioid crisis in the Austin neighborhood.
The event, held Monday Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is designed to commemorate his legacy with community outreach themed “treatment, not trauma.”
The event is organized by the State representative La Shawn K. Ford, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Cook County Public Health system, Illinois Department of Human Services, Edna’s Circle, Humboldt Park Health, Way Back Inn, Haymarket Center, WestCare and West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force.
During the event, people will be given instructions on how to reverse overdose, as well as local resources for mental health because drug use and mental health issues go hand in hand, said director of West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force Rev. Fanya Burford-Berry
The event will include over 100 volunteers that are aiming to knock on 500 doors in the Austin neighborhood and distribute 500 Narcan dispensers to the community. Afterward, the Narcan distribution volunteers will come together to debrief.
“A lot of people don’t quite understand the opioid crisis in our community; there are actually more people [who] die of accidental overdoses in our community than gun violence and car accidents, ” said Burford-Berry. “It’s important for people to open up the door to us because overdoses are preventable.”
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, statistics show that West Side communities accounted for about 36% of the city’s emergency response calls to opioid overdose emergencies.
The volunteers will be given a script and specific routes to cover Austin streets. They will not only provide Narcan but resources for drug usage crisis and mental health crisis as well as other resources available to the community.
The event will be held at 4734 W. Chicago Ave. on King’s birthday. RSVP by scanning the QR code.