The opioid crisis continues to have a devastating impact on the health of several communities across Cook County and across the U.S. More than 100,000 people in the US died of a drug overdose between May 2020 and April 2021, nearly a 29 percent from the 12 months prior, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The prevalence of opioid overdose in Chicago and Cook County has spiked over the last few years. From January 2018 to December 2020, there were 4,283 opioid-related deaths in Cook County with nearly 82 percent of those deaths from June 6 through December 23, 2020 showing the presence of fentanyl in their systems. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office recorded a total of 1840 opioid-related deaths in 2020.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 25th, 1602 opioid-related deaths have been confirmed for 2021 with 717 cases still pending review. Based on past rates for pending cases, it is estimated that the final count of opioid-related deaths will surpass 2100 cases in 2021. Recently, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Cook County Health a five-year $2.6 million grant to fund opioid use treatment programs. Project REACCH-OUT: Rapid Engagement and Access at Cook County Health for Opioid Use Treatment will provide funding to enhance the treatment and recovery of individuals diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD) by implementing a rapid access, low-barrier and high-capacity.