WILMINGTON, Ohio -- More and more communities are using quick response teams to get needed treatment information to people addicted to heroin.
Colerain Township was the first to form quick response teams with police, EMTs and counselors in response to the heroin epidemic. Now, they're doing the same in Wilmington.
"We're trying to say, 'Hey, we're standing here with a hand out. We're going to make it as easy for you as we can to get some help,'" Jon Randol with the Clinton County Crisis Services said.
Wilmington is a small community. But they've seen 10 deaths in Clinton County this year and a spike of 35 overdose cases from April to June.
"It's alarming," Randol said. "It's scary, and that's one of the reasons we're trying to do what we're doing."
Wilmington police were already working with crisis counselors on mental health cases. Chief Duane Weyand said expanding that to the overdose cases was the next logical step.
"We started to see a lot of these people were 'repeat customers,' per se, and so we wanted to do something more," he said.
The teams are made up of police and a counselor. They respond in 48 to 72 hours.
They offer information on treatment to people with addictions.
"My hope is it does make a difference, because at the end of the day, the sooner we can get through the crisis, the better off we are as a community," Weyand said.
Federal grant dollars are paying for the quick response teams. If this pilot program is successful, they plan to roll out more teams in Lebanon, Blanchester and other communities.
