According to the research, almost 25% of all opiate-related hospitalizations in Illinois stem from users in this party of the city. The full report is called Hidden in Plain Sight: Heroin’s Impact on Chicago’s West Side.
This information comes at a time when people all over the country are calling for more treatment options and less punishment for those who are addicted to opiates. In an area like Chicago’s West Side, hundreds of people are struggling with heroin addictions and have nowhere to get help.
While there are a number of treatment options, there are often waiting lists involved or other barriers such as financial assistance and location. The problem in this part of the city has far out-paced other areas in Chicago and its suburbs.
“People seem to understand that heroin use is a public health problem and it needs to be treated like one, not just in the suburbs but on the West Side [of Chicago] too. We need more treatment — not arrests — to get ahead of this crisis,” exclaimed Kathie Kane-Willis, director of the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University.
While this study is specific to Chicago, researchers are pointing out that these statistics are not unique to this city. We must continue to implement successful measures to mitigate the damage and loss caused by opioid addiction, from providing more naloxone for overdose prevention to diverting more non-violent drug offenders to treatment instead of jail. All forms of intervention are valid and helpful at this state to reduce the epidemic.