{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://foster.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/aurora-forum-examines-fight-to-stop-heroin-use", "Beacon-News: Aurora forum examines fight to stop heroin use", "2014-12-19", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Bill Foster", "F000454", "foster.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Heroin abuse, and the deaths that have happened in Kane County because of it, have made for major headlines in the Fox Valley over the past few years.\nOn Wednesday, a group of local leaders got together to talk about how the fight against heroin is going, and what can be done to finally win the battle against the addictive drug.\nThe group which met at the Aurora Public Library\u2019s Eola Road branch included U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Naperville),\u00a0 Kane County Coroner Rob Russell, Kane County Health Department Executive Director Barbara Jeffers and two very special guests \u2014 fathers whose sons died from heroin overdoses.\nAs a former Fermilab physicist, Foster said he gravitates to the analysis of statistics, but it is the stories of heroin-related deaths that have put the issue front and center with him.\n\u201cI am a scientist so when I see the statistics are increasing and hear of the situations from constituents we know it is an area that needs action,\u201d Foster said.\nOne important change that is happening in the fight against heroin is an understanding of the nature of the addiction itself, he said.\nFoster said he\u2019s already begun to sense through his work that people are starting to believe that drug addiction is a \u201cmedical condition\u201d and not a \u201cmoral failure.\u201d\nAnother difference maker involves naxolone, a drug which can work to reverse heroin and some other drug overdoses, if administered in time. Because of that, a push has been made to make the drug available to police officers and others who respond to emergency calls of a drug overdose.\nTo help in that effort, Jeffers launched a \u201ctrain the trainer\u201d program in July to equip law enforcement officials in Kane County with naxolone.\nShe said at least one life has been saved in the county thanks to the drug.\n\u201cCollectively more than 350 officers have been trained,\u201d Jeffers said.\nFoster said, though, that it is important to build on that effort to save more lives. He said there already has been a dramatic effect by getting the drug in the hands of police officers, but if family members aware of a loved one\u2019s addiction had access to the drug, it could further help save lives.\nHe said a major concern is that some young people are beginning to abuse drugs early, and at home.\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret one of the main pathways to heroin addiction is through prescription drugs,\u201d he said.\nFoster said he\u2019s heard of start-up companies developing electronic pill dispensers with a connection to a smart phone that would require a patient speak with a nurse practitioner for the pill to be released.\n\u201cIt could be tremendous for at-risk patients and potentially be at low-cost,\u201d he said.\nThe fight against heroin is an ongoing battle, according to Russell.\nRussell said heroin-related deaths in Kane County dropped from 27 in 2012 to 22 in 2013, but so far this year the incidents of drug-related deaths are on pace to be around the same as last year.\nHe said the coroner\u2019s office is now conducting autopsies on suspected drug deaths to establish the cause of death, assist law enforcement and provide some closure to families.\nInformation about the problem, and getting it out to the public, is key, according to forum participants.\nTim Ryan, of Naperville, a self-proclaimed recovering drug addict, said that his 21-year old son died four months ago from a heroin overdose. The public needs to know the extent of the heroin problem, he said.\n\u201cThe problem is we don\u2019t have (all) the data,\u201d he said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://foster.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/aurora-forum-examines-fight-to-stop-heroin-use"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8935770019888878, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}