La Crosse County’s heroin task force developed a list of immediate goals to combat the alarming increase in the use of heroin. The panel both city and county leaders assembled this month after heroin use surged. In the next two months, the group plans to organize a town hall meeting, expand drug education for inmates, parents and students, and develop a resources website guiding people on how to handle the war on drugs. They plan to set up medication drop boxes for people who have old medications or are no longer taking the prescribed medicines to a have the ability to dispose of them properly. They are hoping this will decrease the chance of younger adults or any individuals for that matter stumbling across the medications and taking them.

The panel also wants to equip the city firefighters with the antidote to opiate overdose by February 1 and look into whether police and first responders could do the same.

In the long term goal of this task force, they hope to find ways to eliminate or at least decrease the ability to have heroin so readily available. This is in hopes to also lower the amount of heroin overdose deaths, along with the demand for the illegal and highly toxic substance. Future goals are being set to have treatment abilities improved, and to work on the education and implement job training for addicts. The group will meet every two weeks to continue this plan and follow through with their priorities. It’s monumental to educate people on the disease of addiction, along with providing insight for people who are addicted to be able to see that treatment is a goal that can be reached.

If you are struggling with a substance dependency don’t wait another day, don’t continue the spiral. With services provided at Seabrook, we offer inpatient treatment, and an intensive outpatient group that meets daily, if you are unable to be away from your job for a long amount of time. Call: (888) 223-0298 to learn more or talk to a representative and see what treatment plan can work best for you or your loved one.