On May 18, the Opioid Project received a Special Recognition Award from Huron Valley Ambulance for the group’s life-saving work. This award was given in part because 2015 was the first year there was a reduction in opioid-related deaths in the county. In 2014, 65 lives were lost to opioid use; however, in 2015, this number dropped to 49.
Later, in August, the Opioid Project launched its own website.
During the 2016 academic school year, the WHI Opioid Project educated more than 300 teens across the county. Participating members represented a variety of agencies, such as the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, the Washtenaw County Public Health Department, Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan, and Michigan Medicine, and held events to educate teens about opioid addiction and substance use.