Our Programs

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We partnered with the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug prevention Task Force’s award-winning prescription Drug Disposal network. Today we dispose of nearly 18,000 pounds of unwanted pharmaceuticals a year at our 33 partner police stations here in Lake County. This program has been used as a model by the DEA to shape disposal networks across the country. 

In partnership with all Lake County Police Departments and the Lake  County Health Department we have provided all police officers in Lake  County Naloxone to counter opioid overdoses on the spot. Since the  programs inception in December 2014 we have saved countless lives.  

One of the very first things we discovered was the need to educate and advocate for changes in local, state and federal policy. Over the years we have engaged policy makers at all levels to make effective changes, our fingerprints are all over new effective policy in Illinois and in the United States.

This application is designed to provide visual and statistical insights into unintentional overdose death trends in Lake County, Illinois. This heat map (updated weekly) is available to the community and that offers profound insights into the dynamics of life and death within our county. While some trends may mirror global phenomena, others may be distinctly local, underscoring the need for targeted interventions, public health initiatives, and community collaboration. 

To learn more about the Lake County Coroner, please click here to visit their webpage.

“A Way Out” is a Lake County, Illinois Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, designed to fast-track those who need treatment, to substance abuse programs and services. This program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 16 participating police departments across Lake County. No criminal charges will be sought for those that may be in possession of narcotics or paraphernalia, as long as assistance is sought out by the prospective program participant. To date, this program has help 1047 individuals!

The Lake County Help mobile app was developed by LEAD and is intended  for residents of Lake County, IL and surrounding communities. Included  in this app is access to a 24/7 anonymous text crisis line (Text-A-Tip),  access to the law enforcement assisted diversion drug treatment program  (A Way Out), signs and symptoms of an overdose, and information about  Naloxone (Narcan) and the Illinois Good Samaritan law.