Community Coalition Concerned with Overdose Trends in Lincoln County

Lincoln County Community Opioid Response Efforts (LC-CORE) coalition has become increasingly concerned by this year’s overdose trends in Lincoln County. The group recently met and discussed increases seen in 2021.

Lincoln County Ambulance District provided data that showed between January and May 2019, there were 29 overdose calls. During that same time period during 2020, there were 26 overdose calls. In 2021, there have already been 46 overdose calls.

LC-CORE wants community members to be aware that Narcan is available in the community for FREE. Narcan (also known as naloxone) is a medication that quickly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, usually within 1-3 minutes. Anyone at risk of witnessing or experiencing an overdose should have Narcan on hand – especially people who use drugs, their family members, and peers. Think of it like a fire extinguisher. We have them on hand, but hope that we never have to use them.

Narcan can be obtained at the Lincoln County Health Department during business hours by walking in or making an appointment. Individuals will meet with a trained staff member and get a short overview of how to administer Narcan. The Lincoln County Health Department is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and the phone number is (636) 528-6117.

LC-CORE is also collaborating with local partners to plan community events for later this summer to promote treatment and recovery for those affected by opioid abuse. The first event is scheduled for July 31st from 11:00 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Shielded by Faith Recovery Center in Troy.

Agencies and groups represented in LC-CORE include the Lincoln County Health Department, Lincoln County Ambulance District, Mercy Hospital Lincoln, Preferred Family Healthcare, Probation and Parole, Shielded by Faith Recovery Center, PreventEd, community members, and more. Information about LC-CORE can be found at www.lchdmo.org/CORE