Bill Gentes, the Project Coordinator for the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force in Lake County, Ill., had a unique challenge. The coalition\u2019s nine permanent drop boxes were at capacity. So, using strategies learned at CADCA\u2019s National Coalition Academy, the coalition leveraged their resources, advocated for a state law, and, as a result, increased collection capacity and lowered their opioid overdose rates.<\/p>\n
But the \u201cadventure in advocacy,\u201d as Gentes puts it, wasn\u2019t without its challenges.<\/p>\n
The coalition took about a year to help get the Lake County Prescription Drug Disposal Pilot Program, SB2928, passed in 2014. The state law provides that the program facilitate the collection, transportation, and disposal of pharmaceuticals by law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n
Gentes and his colleagues shared their timeline at CADCA\u2019s National Leadership Forum. Their poster, presented at an Ideas Fair booth with dozens of others, \u201cAdvocating for Success: The Making of a State Law, in Many Easy Steps!\u201d was voted by fellow attendees to be an award winner for Innovation.<\/p>\n
The poster session featured a bumble-bee-colored display that made Forum attendees a buzz. The display told the coalition\u2019s step-by-step story they took to garner success.<\/p>\n
From identifying and diagnosing real physical barriers to the disposing of prescription drugs in Lake County, to briefing a state senator about the problem and getting buy-in from the senator, to navigating through a bunch of \u201cregulatory minefields,\u201d to getting unanimous votes in both the Illinois House and Senate and then having the Governor sign the bill. The poster told the story, Gentes said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tried to explain all aspects of the policy campaign, from the initial preparation to follow up after the vote, including insight on decreasing stress that some people feel from interacting with elected officials,\u201d he said. Gentes, a former elected official himself, was also CADCA\u2019s 2014 Advocate of the Year.<\/p>\n
Through the efforts of the task force, the prescription drug disposal network has grown to 27 disposal sites. The bill\u2019s implementation has helped the coalition to collect nearly 12,000 pounds in 2015, an increase of 9,000 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coalition was also able to collect detailed data about the collected medications, which revealed that our efforts removed more than $750,000 in street value scheduled medications from medicine cabinets throughout our county,\u201d Gentes said. \u201cThis was all due to the advocacy of committed coalitions in Lake County and in Illinois, in general.\u201d<\/p>\n
The advocacy work on SB2928 helped to foster and strengthen relationships with key officials in the political and corporate worlds.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince this endeavor, we now have state senators asking us what we want them to work on for us. The key point we would emphasize is your coalition can do this all by advocating to any level of government anytime, anywhere,\u201d Gentes, the former Round Lake Mayor, added.<\/p>\n