Article Summary:

Will County is seeing a reduction in opioid overdose deaths and is expanding access to the reversal drug Narcan, health officials reported. The department also drew attention to new FDA rules that will require opioid pain medication labels to include clearer warnings about addiction, overdose, and safe usage.

Will County Public Health & Safety Committee Key Points:

• Opioid overdose deaths in Will County are decreasing, and the county has recently deployed 10 new “red boxes” to broaden community access to Narcan.

• The FDA is mandating updated labeling for opioid painkillers to better inform patients about risks, provide dosing warnings, and include information on the overdose-reversal drug naloxone (Narcan).

JOLIET, IL – Will County continues to make headway in its battle against the opioid epidemic, with overdose deaths trending downward and new federal regulations aimed at improving patient safety, officials told a county committee Thursday.

During a report to the Public Health & Safety Committee, Denise Bergen of the Will County Health Department said that while the county is now monitoring all drug-related deaths to watch for emerging trends, the numbers for opioid overdoses are declining. The county also recently rolled out 10 more “red boxes,” which provide public access to the life-saving overdose reversal drug Narcan, to further combat the crisis.

Bergen, presenting the substance use initiatives report, also highlighted a significant change from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding how opioid pain medications are labeled.

“They’re going to make the information clearer so that someone can easily understand what’s happening,” Bergen said.

The new FDA requirements will mandate that labels warn consumers about the dangers of long-term opioid use, provide clear dosing warnings to prevent accidental overdoses, and remove language that could be misinterpreted as supporting indefinite use. The labels will also include information about safely discontinuing the medication, the risks of drug interactions, and the availability of naloxone, the generic name for Narcan.

The report also sparked a brief discussion about other substances, with committee member Mica Freeman (D-Plainfield) asking about Kratom and other psychoactive products sold in vape shops. Bergen confirmed these plant-based substances are often unregulated and legal, allowing smoke shops to “take full advantage.”