Overdose deaths have significantly increased in Lake County since January 2020. To-date, there have been 73 drug overdoses in Lake County. 63 of those are Opioid related. The LCOI and LCUDDPTF are working to address this issue.

"The pandemic has impacted the people of Lake County in many ways, including those suffering from addiction," said Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim. "Overdoses are up and people struggling with addiction need us now, more than ever." The Lake County Opioid Initiative has launched programs to help support citizens impacted by the opioid epidemic. The Police Naloxone Program has saved 267 lives since December 25, 2014. The Lake County Opioid Initiative partnered with Leading Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD) out of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff to introduce Text-A-Tip. Text-A-Tip, is a digital crisis intervention service, has received a total of 17,039 texts since September 30, 2015. The Lake County Opioid Initiative has collaborated with community leaders to bring prevention education information to parents and students. In the year 2018, a total of five opioid/heroin prevention education programs have been conducted across Lake County. Lastly, the 'A Way Out' program has assisted 395 individuals access treatment.

Following a 2007 alcohol related fatal traffic crash which took the lives of two underage boys in Deerfield, the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force (Task Force) was created. The Task Force was formed by combining the efforts of the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association and the Lake County After School Coalition. The mission of the Task Force is 'to provide leadership and resources to reduce and prevent underage drinking and other youth substance use in Lake County' - and their vision is 'to have a county-wide environment where youth achieve their full potential.'

"The Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force appreciates your support during these challenging times," said Terry Vandergrift, Chair of the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force.