"It's not unusual to have an overdose every day," says the Rockford Fire Department's Mobile Integrated Healthcare manager Shannon Kopp. "We're seeing it a lot."
Winnebago County has the highest overdose drug problem in the state per capita. The Rockford Fire Department is trying to reduce those numbers through its "Knock and Talk" initiative.
"Every day I get a list of all the overdoses from the day before. I check our records and find out what hospital they went to, and if they survived the overdose," explains Kopp. "I go to the homes, and if they're ready to get into treatment I want to help them get into treatment, but if they're not ready I also provide them with a naloxone kit."
Naloxone, also referred to as Narcan is a drug that often comes in the form of a nasal spray that can reverse an overdose.