Dozens of Chicagoans trained to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses in their communities have distributed more than 7,000 naloxone kits across the city since March.

The Chicago Police Department will outfit officers in a half-dozen South and West Side districts with an opioid overdose-reversal medicine as part of a $2 million federal grant.

“People with this disease are ashamed,” said Gary Mendell, whose son struggled with addiction. He hopes Saturday’s race shows people struggling with addiction they are not alone. “We care about you.”

The state of Illinois is getting a boost in its efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

A law signed Tuesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner opens access to cannabis to a new raft of patients—anyone who would otherwise be prescribed an opioid.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says a suite of new laws will “dramatically improve” mental health and addiction treatment in Illinois as part of a larger effort to address the state’s opioid crisis.

From decreasing access to opioids, to identifying patients at risk of addiction: A look at what local hospitals are doing in the fight against opioid addiction.

“This crisis touches the lives of so many – almost everyone knows someone struggling with an opioid addiction,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “I hope this podcast opens eyes and minds to how easily an opioid addiction can happen and how hard it can be to stop.”

Public housing across the U.S. will become smoke-free at the end of the month. What that means for some 60,000 residents in Chicago.

A wellness center’s program addresses the unique needs of pregnant women with substance use disorders. This week, the group celebrated a milestone.

Opioid withdrawal symptoms have typically been treated with another narcotic, but a newly approved drug offers what a local doctor calls a “clean break” for patients.

Illinois has won long sought-after permission from the federal government to take a more flexible approach to treating opioid disorders, drug abuse and other behavioral health issues.

The American Dental Association announces a new policy on opioid prescriptions and education for dentists who prescribe the painkillers and other controlled substances.

Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan discusses his agency’s role in combating the opioid crisis.   

Overcoming heroin addiction is a Herculean task. How a local program is helping former addicts recover with medication.

Officials battling the state’s opioid epidemic got a boost this week with the donation of a medicine that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. In 2016, nearly 1,950 people died of opioid overdoses in Illinois.