For Immediate Release

Friday, Sept. 11, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Chestnut Health Systems Partners with Lee County Safe Passage Initiative

DIXON, Ill. — Police Chief Danny Langloss and Lee County Sheriff John Simonton are pleased to announce that the two law enforcement groups have partnered with Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Ill to assist with their addiction initiatives.

On Sept. 1, Dixon Police and the Lee Country Sheriff’s Department launched The Safe Passage Initiative: Police Giving Hope to Addicts Through the Tools For Recovery, an addiction recovery initiative modeled after the Gloucester, Mass. Police Department’s ANGEL Program that is aimed at encouraging addicts to seek the help of police officers and sheriff’s deputies, who will in turn get them into treatment.

“From the moment we contacted Chestnut Health Systems, they have bent over backwards to partner with our program. Their level of professionalism and care has been incredible.  In the past month, we have placed four Safe Passage participants at Chestnut, and all of them have had great things to say about their treatment program,” Chief Langloss said. “As one of our first treatment partners, Chestnut Health Systems was key to bringing this great program to life.”

Since its inception, Safe Passage has already placed 11 people from Lee County into treatment centers. Four of these people are in treatment with Chestnut Health Systems.

Lee County and Dixon also became the first agencies to partner with The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) in Illinois.

“Looking at the success of the Gloucester Police Department’s initiative, we knew we wanted to replicate the same type of services for our communities,” Sheriff Simonton said. “By working with Chestnut Health Systems we will be able to offer the necessary services residents need to recover from addiction.”

Chestnut Health will provide The Safe Passage Initiative with scholarships and recovery services to participants.

“We have seen and experienced the devastating effects addiction can have on people and their families and we are committed to offering help to those struggling with the disease,” said Russell Hagen, Chief Executive Officer of Chestnut Health Systems. “To be able to be a part of this revolutionary movement is a great pleasure for Chestnut Health Systems and we look forward to moving The Safe Passage Initiative forward.”

About Chestnut Health Systems
Chestnut Health Systems has offered an array of addiction counseling and treatment for adolescents and adults in Central and Southern Illinois for four decades. Services include assessment, inpatient, intensive outpatient and outpatient programs.

The facility is known throughout the state as one of the leading providers of substance abuse treatment and prevention, mental health counseling and housing, credit counseling, substance abuse-related research, training, and employee and workplace assistance. Chestnut offers a team of over 700 full and part-time professionals.

About P.A.A.R.I.
P.A.A.R.I. was started to support local police departments as they work with opioid addicts. Rather than arrest our way out of the problem of drug addiction, P.A.A.R.I. committed police departments:

• Encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery
• Help distribute life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses
• Connect people suffering with opioid addiction with treatment programs and facilities
• Provide resources to other police departments and communities that want to do more to fight the opioid addiction epidemic

P.A.A.R.I. was created by Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello and John Rosenthal to bridge the gap between the police department and opioid addicts seeking recovery.

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