Port Huron, MI — The Port Huron Police Department (PHPD) and Port Huron Odyssey House (PHOH) are collaborating to create the Mobile Overdose Response Team (MORT) to combat the opioid crisis in the City of Port Huron.
Data shows that deaths from opioid overdoses has been increasing since 2011, and St. Clair County was ranked #7 based on the high rate of opioid overdoses and #8 in the state for the total number of overdose deaths in 2018.
The Mobile Overdose Response Team will include members from both the Port Huron Police Department and addiction professionals from the Port Huron Odyssey House. Starting today, they will use a Quick Response Team model to care for city residents who experienced a drug overdose event from January 1, 2021 to the present.
The goal of the program is to reduce repeat overdoses and promote recovery.
Ken Heuvelman, Clinical Coordinator and Outpatient Therapist at Port Huron Odyssey House, said, “A new approach to reach people in addiction where they are at, is strongly needed in the Port Huron area. We are continually looking at programs and opportunities to reduce the number of overdoses in our county, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to promote recovery and reduce unnecessary death in our county by working together with the Port Huron Police Department.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
