With the massive increase in heroin use and the rise in overdoses hitting Northern Kentucky, the City of Independence is teaming up with Kenton County, The Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, PDS and the Northern Kentucky Health Department to educate citizens on how to protect themselves, their friends and family, and their community.
Working together with county organizations, the City of Independence will join the campaign with a door-to-door drive on Saturday, June 3rd, to distribute nearly 10,000 informational door hangers to residents throughout the city.
Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann and Mayor Chris Reinersman will be joined by volunteers to canvass neighborhoods. Volunteers are encouraged to meet at the Independence Senior & Community Center, 2001 Jackwoods Parkway, Independence at 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers in neighboring Crestview Hills
“Recognizing the regular impact our region’s heroin epidemic is having on our residents and first responders, I have proclaimed June, 2017 as ‘Independence Hates Heroin Month’,” said Mayor Chris Reinersman. “Turning the tide on this problem will require a multi-pronged approach, with public education and awareness being a key component. I am confident that many of my fellow Independence residents will join me on June 3rd and help us move forward in this fight.”
Kenton County, in collaboration with the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, and Boone and Campbell Counties, has created a regional heroin helpline to provide quick response for people in need.
“The Northern Kentucky Addiction Helpline is a critical tool in helping those struggling with opiate and heroin addition,” said Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann. “Streamlining access to treatment saves lives, and bringing our community together to spread the word about the helpline is an important part of this effort.” The helpline number is 859-415-9280, and it is staffed 24 hours per day.
St. Elizabeth Medical Center experienced 1,548 overdose emergencies in 2016, over 200 drug-related deaths, and more than 100 babies born to addicted mothers. The crisis is striking every city and neighborhood, regardless of socio-economic profile.
Volunteers in Erlanger
Community partners working with county leaders have taken the following steps so far to tackle the growing problem:
*Creating the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, led by Kim Moser, to coordinate how our region attacks this epidemic.
*Establishing a nationally recognized substance abuse treatment program at the Kenton County Detention Center that is currently working with 125 men and women, making it one of the largest treatment facilities in Northern Kentucky.
*Starting the Regional Heroin Helpline – 859-415-9280 – that has already been recognized as a model in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for helping residents access treatment.
*Adding Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties to the federally-designated High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), to make additional resources available to our local law enforcement agencies.
*Establishing a Quick Response Team, mixing the best qualities of multiple first responder agencies, to intervene with individuals who have previously overdosed.
For more information, or to volunteer to distribute door hangers on June 3rd, RSVP to Kenton County Fiscal Court’s Digital Communications Coordinator Sara Sgantas at Sara.Sgantas@KentonCounty.org or by calling (859) 392-1400.
