Recently, a new, potentially deadly substance is making headlines in the Naperville area.
Headlines such as “First Fentanyl death in Naperville bodes possibly ‘catastrophic’ year” and “Heroin deaths up in DuPage, Will” are becoming more prolific and Naperville has already taken action in an attempt to generate change.
Naperville is facing an increasing rate of substance-related crime, and even death. Although substance abuse is not a historically new phenomena, the way in which drugs are entering the suburbs is changing
Heroin, in the shortest definition, is a powerful illegal drug made from morphine. This drug, and other opiate-based drugs, have been brought into the suburbs from larger cities, like Chicago, creating a trail otherwise referred to as the “Heroin Highway.”
Alex Nichols (’16) attended Plainfield North High School, just 11 miles away from campus. Plainfield, Ill., has also been impacted by substance abuse seeping from the city of Chicago to the suburbs.
“It seemed a lot do with how the money was disbursed in my town,” said Nichols. “The North side had more money, so they just smoked a lot of pot and drank at parties…where central and south regions did a lot of different drugs.”
Fentanyl, a drug that provides users with a “heroin-like” experience, was found to be connected to a drug-related death for the first time in Naperville this April. This death pushed HERO-HELPS, a local organization, to host a summit on April 29, in Romeoville, Ill.
HERO-HELPS is an acronym for Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization and Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions. The summit organized by this group tackled the issue of heroin and fentanyl abuse head on.
Others involved in combating substance abuse in the area include Mark Piccolo, director of the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group. Piccolo recently discussed the entry of drugs into the suburbs in an article titled “Heroin Deaths up in DuPage, Will.”
“Anywhere from 25 percent to 30 percent of the drugs coming into the area were the result of suburban residents going into the city to purchase cheap drugs to sell in the suburbs at a profit,” writes Hank Beckman, from “The Beacon-News,” of the numbers that Piccolo shared.
Due to the increased amount of drugs available, a new act has been put in place.
The Illinois Heroin Crisis Act was the main topic of discussion at the HERO-HELPS summit. Passed in 2015, the Heroin Crisis Act aims to improve access to treatment and overdose prevention programs. With the “Heroin Highway” still running strong, it is important to have acts in place that can potentially reverse the heroin epidemic plaguing the area.
Although the path has been paved for a new future, reminders of the past are still around.
Throughout the past 10 years, approximately five young Naperville residents lost their lives to heroin. These young people ranged in age from 16 to 25 years old; and some had connections to current NCC students.
Connecting those who are struggling with substance abuse to a treatment resource seems to be key in creating improvement.
“Dyson is one of those resources,” said Michaline Rutowski, counselor at Dyson Wellness Center on campus. Other than providing medical resources to students and staff, Dyson Wellness Center provides a variety of counseling services. According to the North Central College website, “counselors can help with a wide range of issues, including academic struggles, drug and alcohol concerns, anger, anxiety, depression, stress and more.”
With the implementation of a new heroin amnesty program called “Connect for Life” the city hopes to create a community that provides opportunity rather than punishment.
According to an article written by Denise Crosby for “The Beacon-News,” the aforementioned program allows addicts “to walk into the police station and, instead of getting arrested, (addicts) will be taken to a drug treatment center.” This will allow for Naperville police officers to be a connection to lean on, rather than a group that may be feared by addicts.
There has been an increase in the amount of treatment centers opening locally, many of them focusing their interests on those struggling with heroin abuse. In November of 2015 Banyan Treatment Center opened its doors in downtown Naperville.
Located within the Main Street Promenade, a center that also houses businesses such ME Spa and Innovative Orthodontic Center, Banyan Treatment Center offers personalized treatment plans for substance abuse. Although this center may seem displaced, the need in Naperville and its surrounding suburbs is evident.
Another key in reducing substance abuse among young adults is to create a sense of a community that cares. In a town with an abundance of treatment resources, counseling services and a new amnesty policy it seems that Naperville is on a path to create that type of community.
“I think that’s where our students are very fortunate in that the resources are very abundant here,” said Nicole Musni, director of counseling at Dyson Wellness Center.
