Oak Park has handed out more than 7,000 free doses of Narcan since 2023. The village's Public Health Department has also trained more than 150 residents to use the overdose-reversing nasal spray through its Opioid Overdose Prevention program.

The department released those figures on Monday, Aug. 31, to mark the 25th annual International Overdose Awareness Day. Two free, hands-on training sessions are now scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 14.

The 90-minute sessions cover how to recognize an opioid overdose, how Narcan works in the body and how to administer the nasal spray. Each participant takes home a free overdose prevention kit.

A previous session in the series was scheduled for Saturday, July 18, at the Community Recreation Center, according to the village manager's office. Times and locations for the fall sessions have not been announced.

Where to get free Narcan

No training is required. Free Narcan kits are stocked at eight locations around Oak Park, the village said. Kits are also available at Village Hall by asking for a Health Department staff member.

At the Oak Park Public Library's Main Library, an unlocked red overdose box in the vestibule holds free naloxone nasal spray pouches available to anyone without asking permission, according to the library's overdose awareness page. Each pouch contains two prepackaged naloxone sprays and instructions.

Aaron Alonzo, the library's manager of public safety, said in an Aug. 19 library posting that "anyone can take and carry Narcan, give it to someone having an overdose, and potentially save a life."

Local overdose data

The scale of the problem in Oak Park is significant. According to 2022 data from the village's Public Health Department, someone in Oak Park overdosed on opioids roughly every other day. That figure is four years old and may not reflect current rates.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, blocks the effects of opioids on the brain. It works against fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine but does not reverse overdoses caused by non-opioid drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine.

The department, led by Director Greg Olsen, urged residents to keep Narcan in a bag, purse or medicine cabinet at home. Residents can contact the department at [email protected] or 708-358-5480 for more information or to register for a training session.