QUINCY -- Police Chief Rob Copley had never seen prevalent use of heroin in the area in his 36 years with the Quincy Police Department until recently.
"We had a lot of (heroin) overdoses last year that really showed us that we had a problem," Copley said.
Because of the jump in overdose cases, including two people in police custody, Quincy Police Department squad cars are now equipped with opioid antidote naloxone, which is commonly known by the brand name Narcan. The medication is provided to the department by a Chicago-based nonprofit.
"We've not deployed it as far as using it on a patient at this point, but it's there in case we need to use it," Copley said.
Community leaders discussed heroin and opioid addiction at a round table meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, Monday at the Oakley-Lindsay Center.
"This is an issue that transcends economic boundaries, transcends urban and rural. It's something that affects all of us, and it's a growing problem," LaHood said. "Those painkillers that are prescribed by doctors that people get addicted to, the natural trajectory is heroin after that, and heroin has become much cheaper."
He said the House is expected to review legislation related to heroin and opioid addiction when it returns next week. The U.S. Senate has passed legislation to allocate resources
Master Sgt. Pat Frazier of the West Central Illinois Task Force, said the heroin epidemic needs to be addressed federally.
"Last summer was surely a wake up call for us here in Quincy, and it's the same as what they're seeing around the country," Frazier said.
Adams County Coroner Jim Keller said three people in Adams County died last year from heroin overdoses.
His department is now disposing of end-of-life medications for people on hospice at their homes and many are strong narcotics.
"With the last week, I received 72 bottles of medication, 78 bottles of medication and 54 bottles of medication," Keller said, adding that half were a type of narcotic.
Copley said though discussion is valuable, action is needed to combat heroin use.
"It's great to talk about our problems and discuss what's going on, but we need resolution," he said. "We need a way to reduce the use of heroin and other opioids in our communities. We need a way to do that with all drugs. Hopefully, this will start, or at least continue some conversations within both the federal and state governments, so we can get where we need to be in moving past this epidemic."
Long-term recovery and job placement was seen as a potential solution to the epidemic.
Reggie Westhoff, a mental health nurse practitioner with Cornerstone: Foundations for Family in Quincy, told LaHood that some heroin addicts can be treated with the drug Suboxone, but few providers can offer it for opioid addiction treatment.
"I'm having to send them out of town to St. Louis or Columbia," Westhoff said. "It is even difficult to find someone at this point, because those doctors are full. They can't take anymore patients, so it's causing the patients to relapse, because they're not getting the treatment they need."
A local provider that could prescribe the treatment for opioid addiction left the area.
Suboxone helps prevent a person's body from craving an opioid. It is also used in the treatment of chronic pain.
Westhoff said her patients have found success with the Suboxone treatment.
"I have two (patients) that are doing very well, and they're working," she said.
