20 Jan Fatal drug overdoses cut in half in Kankakee County | Local News
When investigators found the dead man, he had a canister of Narcan and a handwritten note taped to his leg that said, “Stab in thigh in case OD. Use another dose if no effect after 15 min.”
That man was one of 29 people who died last year from a drug overdose in Kankakee County. Those 29 deaths are almost half of the county’s record 56 overdose deaths in 2017 and the lowest since 25 people died from overdoses in 2015.
Despite the substantial decrease in overdose deaths, Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner noted the area still has a problem with fentanyl, a painkiller commonly prescribed to terminal cancer patients that has been laced with heroin and cocaine or sometimes independently. Autopsies found fentanyl in 20 of the 29 people who died from overdoses.
“We’re seeing more fentanyl than we are heroin,” Gessner said. “Addicts want to go to the place that is close to death. They want that euphoria, and fentanyl gets them there. They set themselves around people with Narcan and designate someone to administer it while others shoot up.”
Opiates killed 11 women and 18 men in 2018. The average age for women victims was 43 and 38 for men, with an overall average age of 40. The youngest was a 23-year-old Kankakee woman who was a dog groomer. The oldest was a 63-year-old Kankakee man who was a manager.
Twenty-two were white. Six were black. One was Hispanic.
Twenty-five were never married. Three were married. One was divorced.
Twenty-five had at least a high school diploma. Eight had some college experience. Three were high school dropouts. One quit school before eighth grade.
Nine were skilled trade workers — carpenters, electricians, welders and laborers. Two were nurse’s aides. Two were managers. Three were jobless. One was disabled.
“These are people with an education and careers,” Gessner said. “They are homemakers, electricians, delivery drivers, landscapers and nurse’s aides. These are everyday people you may not expect to be addicted. There are no ethics to opiate abuse.”
Nonetheless, the decrease in overdose deaths, which saved the county $42,000 in autopsy costs compared to 2017, remains a moral victory for the coroner’s office and law enforcement.
Since 2015, the coroner’s office has been equipping every Kankakee County police officer with Narcan, a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose, thanks to an annual $225,000 grant.
Last year, Gessner used some of that grant funding to bring in recovered addicts and acclaimed anti-drug activists Tim Ryan and Nick Morgan to Kankakee County. His office also held multiple opiate forums, in addition to meetings with churches and schools.
“We reached more than 6,000 people last year,” Gessner said. “People are more educated about fentanyl and carfentanil. We are trying to get into churches, libraries, gas stations and schools to educate people.”
As for law enforcement, area police saved 18 people last year compared to 27 in 2017 by administering Narcan. Police also made 186 drug felony arrests countywide. Heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana trafficking accounted for 171 of those cases, and methamphetamine accounted for 14.
“Police and prosecutors have been aggressive about combating the drug problem,” Deputy Coroner Eric Cavender said. “Doctors also have been prescribing less painkillers. Drug drop boxes have been filling up. Those are part of the decrease in overdose deaths.”
To add to that, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information recently renewed a grant with the Kankakee County State’s Attorney’s Office that will continue to fund a full-time narcotics prosecutor and a full-time narcotics investigator through October 2020. That will enable the county to pursue drug-induced homicide cases.
“The county is heading in the right direction,” State’s Attorney Jim Rowe said. “I would attribute that to the coroner’s office’s efforts to educate the community. We are on the right path, but we are not going to be happy until those overdose death numbers are zero.”
More efforts to eliminate overdose deaths are on the way. Gessner said the county is on the cusp of landing its first detox center. The center, which is planned to be in Manteno, would focus on mental health and substance abuse treatment.
“We really need a detox center,” Gessner said. “We need somewhere to send people to get the help they need. We have been pushing to get one for some time now. We are very, very close to getting our first one. It’s coming.”