Project OPEN has given structure, purpose to recovery alliance

DIXON — Project OPEN, formed to combat an opioid epidemic in the Sauk Valley, is looking to transform into a new tax-exempt entity now that its rural communities planning grant has expired.

OPEN stands for Opioid Prevention and Engagement Network and is a group of medical, brain health, public health, education and social service professionals and other individuals from the recovery community, court and law enforcement organizations, and various nonprofits in Lee, Ogle and Whiteside Counties who have come together to help build a network to prevent opioid addiction, increase access to treatment options, and make communities recovery-friendly.

Aaqil Khan, who has steered Project OPEN for the past three years at the behest of KSB Hospital, says the goal is to take the coalition of 34 partner agencies in Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties — including Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery — and make the arrangement more formal and lasting.

“I am committed to seeing this through,” said Khan after Project OPEN celebrated its achievements in a capstone ceremony during a forum in September. “That’s my No. 1 thing: Focus on the partnerships.”

The next phase, Khan said, is incorporating a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant via the Ogle County Health Department.

“We banded around the topic of substance abuse disorder,” said Khan. The next step is the formation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Connected Communities is an alliance that hopes to build on the work and structure of Project OPEN. That includes having a grant management team directed by a board that can allocate money to the agencies best equipped to serve a particular need.

At the heart, its purpose mirrors Project OPEN: to find solutions to substance misuse by maximizing available resources and shore up those factors in the environment — such as poverty, transportation and affordable housing — that can have an effect on recovery. The scope of the effort may change, however, as surveys and research better prioritize which problems should be addressed.

Khan said the challenges to a rural community largely include a population base that has a lower income and less education than urban counterparts.

Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery has been able to secure additional funding for projects, such as $527,000 for recovery support services received Jan. 1, 2022, $335,000 in donations for sober living homes and $90,000 from Rush Medical Center to increase capacity.

During the September event, Project Open provided a list of its accomplishments during three years.

Here is a partial summation of those accomplishments, by category:

Safe Passage expansion. Sinnissippi Centers has served as the coordinator of behavioral services. Since July 2021, 135 people have received treatment for misuse of alcohol, methamphetamines, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, opiates or a combination of them. Directing Safe Passage resources into local law enforcement agencies has been key.

School-based health counselors. Funds added three full-time school-based counselors and other staff in the three-county area. Twelve schools have provided 117 clients with more than 1,300 hours of services from Aug. 2020 to April 2022.

Detox services. KSB Hospital and CGH Medical Center each provide detox services, but the effort is now coordinated and more patient-focused.

Recover-Con. For two years the event has brought in experts to share best practices in the field. Rush Medical University has provided 12 hours of continuing education to locals in the recovery field.

Well-being Care Community. Established a coordinated information platform that can close the “information loop,” enabling people in the medical and behavioral fields to connect clients and families with social and community services.

Language and culture. An assessment has enabled the network of care providers to have the tools and people who can interact with patients in a culturally sensitive manner and communicate in a patient’s native language.

Syringe-service program. A harm reduction pilot program to engage drug users was in operation for six months in the three-county area.

Sober living home. A house has been open in Dixon for four months and has five residents. Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery is working with municipalities to identify properties that might serve diverse populations.

Jail services. Gaps in each of the three counties were evaluated and a working group is addressing a treatment presence in jail facilities.

Tuesday Talk. Started in August, these 21 conversations are posted on social media and are intended to promote the work of the coalition while also providing information and support for those affected by opioid use and substance use disorder.

Opioid academic detailing. These are one-on-one visits involving clinical pharmacists and researchers with current and former users from the University of Illinois-Chicago. It’s part of a monitoring plan that tailors safe opioid prescriptions for designated persons during the course of their recovery effort. It dovetails with Medication Assisted Recovery.

Medication Assisted Recovery. Initially a program of the Whiteside County Community Health Clinic, it has now expanded to several agencies in Lee County. These clinics treat patients holistically, identifies individual needs, provides intensive case management and combines behavioral health therapies with medication management. It also has enabled Sinnissippi Centers to prescribe medications for treatment.

Asynchronous telehealth. A platform that is available 24/7 to intercede with individuals at the moment they reach out for treatment or help. The program has had 404 encounters between February 2021 and August 2022.

Increasing Naloxone/Narcan access. More than 200 people in the three-county area received training in properly administering medicines that rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

Recovery-friendly workplaces. Establishes workplace cultures that eliminate the stigma of substance use and promotes recovery. Substance misuse leads to costs to the employer, including absenteeism and increased health care expenses. Studies show that for workers who are in recovery, the costs decline and match those of the remaining workforce.