In the Summer of 2024, Lake County, Illinois, partnered with Third Horizon (TH) to help develop a plan to address the opioid crisis. The goals of the project included:
- Meeting with county staff and community members to gather perspectives and find areas where help is needed
- Listening to community members to collect and analyze feedback about the current situation and the effectiveness of how the county spends its dollars to address opioid use disorder needs
- Publishing a report that shares an analysis of the collected data with recommendations on using the opioid settlement funds in Lake County
TH reviewed community input, data, and national opioid settlement spending best practices. To gather community input, TH conducted focus groups, community town halls, and listening sessions in July and August 2024. The Lake County Health Department supplied data from various sources, including EMS, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Vital Statistics, ESSENCE, and the county coroner. TH also analyzed demographic information from publicly available datasets such as the American Community Survey and the US Census Bureau.
TH developed recommendations to help guide how Lake County spends money from the opioid settlements. The suggestions are based on national guidelines, best practices, community feedback, data, and input from county leaders. There are two types of recommendations: process and funding strategy.
This report is the culmination of TH's work. The report aims to synthesize the available data and community input, identify gaps in the continuum of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services, and offer recommendations for opioid abatement and strategic investment of the settlement funds.
Ashley DeGarmo, Managing Director for Payment Design, led the project with assistance from Alex Hryhorczuk, Caleb Allen, Mindy Klowden, and Tanner Johnson.
Download the complete Lake County report (36-page PDF, optimized for download)