Fatal overdoses in La Salle County have dropped about two-thirds over the past three years, Coroner Rich Ploch said.

Although the decline can’t be credited to any one thing, the Perfectly Flawed Foundation believes it is making a difference.

Based in downtown La Salle, the nonprofit leads regional efforts in substance use prevention and recovery support. From its mobile wellness unit to a new machine that tests street drugs’ chemical makeup, the foundation is changing how communities approach addiction.

“The biggest barrier we often see isn’t the drugs themselves. It’s the stigma,” said Matt Rowlee, director of outreach. “People are afraid to ask for help or even be seen walking into a clinic. We try to take that fear away.”

One way the foundation does this is with its mobile wellness unit: A van that travels across 13 northern counties to meet people where they are, hoping to connect with those considering recovery.

“Some folks won’t walk into a clinic or call a hotline, but they’ll talk to us when we pull up in their neighborhood,” Rowlee said. “Approaching us could be their first step in recovery.”

The van’s staff, many with personal recovery experiences, provide harm-reduction supplies, naloxone, sterile syringes, safe disposal and links to treatment.

Perfectly Flawed staff go beyond immediate care, following up with people and connecting them to local resources.

“We meet people where they’re at but don’t leave them there,” Rowlee said. “Sometimes I’ll sit with someone in the hospital to make sure they get treated. It’s about being there for people who may have been written off.”

Rowlee said he believes in the foundation’s philosophy because it’s something he wished existed years ago.

“If there had been something like this 15 years ago, I might still have some friends left at my high school reunion,” he said.

The foundation also uses Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyze street drugs on-site without sending samples to a lab.

Founder and Director Luke Tomsha called the technology a game-changer.

“It’s one thing to know fentanyl is out there; it’s another to know exactly what’s in the local supply this week,” Tomsha said.

The results help identify substances circulating in the community and reveal patterns that can be shared with public health officials, first responders and people at risk.

“The more we know, the better we can respond,” Tomsha said. “It helps us reach people before tragedy happens.”

Although based in La Salle, Perfectly Flawed’s influence extends beyond the county.

Tomsha serves on the Governor’s Statewide Overdose Action Plan Steering Committee, which includes the lieutenant governor, Illinois State Police and Illinois Department of Public Health leaders.

His role ensures people with lived experience have a voice in shaping state policies.

“Lived experience fills a critical gap,” Tomsha said. “We’re not clinical, but we’ve walked that path and can be a trusted entry point to guide and inform programs – something people without that experience often can’t do.”

Shaw Local News Network reporter Tom Collins contributed to this story.