The Will County Public Health and Safety Committee received an update from Health Department Director Kathleen Burke reporting a continued decline in opioid overdose deaths and new harm‑reduction activity across the county.

Burke said opioid deaths are “continuing to trend downward,” reporting a decline of more than 30 percent compared with the prior year. The department has added 10 new naloxone (Narcan) distribution “red boxes” across the county, including placements in the southeast area of Will County and at Lewis University, and reported increased public acceptance and use of the boxes.

The health department said fentanyl test strips and other harm‑reduction materials remain in distribution. Burke described a peer‑support program funded by opioid‑related dollars that employs certified peer supporters with lived experience; those peers provide navigation for both substance use and behavioral‑health clients and help arrange basic needs such as transportation and identification. The department said peer support is billable when appropriate and that the peer program has grown from one worker to at least two and is busy with referrals.

Burke highlighted outreach events, including an August back‑to‑school distribution and an August awareness event that drew more than 200 attendees and over 30 vendors. She said the health department is focusing on county‑wide access to naloxone, fentanyl test strips and peer support, and is partnering with community groups and universities for outreach.

Committee members asked for additional data on the peer program’s caseload and on regional coroner reporting; Burke said she would provide further numbers and suggested the coroner be invited to brief the committee on inter‑county reporting practices.

No votes or funding requests were taken at the presentation; committee members asked the health department to return with more granular statistics and to coordinate with county partners.