Overview: The West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force

Convened in 2016 by State Representative La Shawn K. Ford, IL-8, and coordinated by Prevention Partnership since July 2019, the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force (WSHOTF) brings together community- based agencies (CBO), governmental entities, health care providers and persons with lived experience to confront the epidemic of opioid overdoses and resultant deaths in Chicago’s West Side communities. 

​

Our funding is provided in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery through the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act.

 

Our Mission: the reduction of overdose deaths and health inequalities through a multi-systems approach employing harm reduction across the continuum of care: direct service, education, prevention, treatment, recovery, and advocacy to enhance the quality of life of those who live on the west side of Chicago. 

​

Our programs:

• Street Outreach - Four days per week, our teams set up for several hours in known "hot spot" areas with harm reduction supplies, warm hand-offs to needed services, and other support. 

• Community Canvassing/Door Knocking to raise awareness of harm reduction.

• Training and Technical Assistance through Opioid Learning and Response Collaborative (OLRC). In partnership with Prevention First, OLRC provides training, technical assistance and resources to strengthen the capacity of organizations, providers, and communities addressing opioid use disorder and related behavioral health challenges. 

​

​

 

 

​

​