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South Louisville task force takes on opioids

Amidst a disease that is tearing families apart, there's a community coming together to try and fight back.

LOUISVILLE, y. (WHAS11) -- It's a story like one you’ve probably heard before. Adam Cooley was an addict. His vice was heroin. He was supposed to leave for treatment one Friday morning in March of 2017, but he never got out the door.

“We were ready and we looked at our clocks and thought, he should be moving about, or getting ready to go. My husband went into the room and screamed out ‘Brenda, I think he's dead,’” his mother, Brenda Cooley told WHAS 11 News.

Cooley said that his final dose had fentanyl in it.

She was among nearly 50 others Thursday night listening and learning about the opioid crisis in Louisville.

Lynnhurst United Church of Christ in South Louisville served as the backdrop, sitting in an area that has seen the some of the highest numbers of fatal overdoses in Louisville Metro.

“Local folks can come up with some of the best solutions for their own communities and that's what we're looking for,” said District 44’s State Representative, Joni Jenkins.

State Representative Jenkins is one of the leaders behind this Task Force on opioids. Her nephew also overdosed on drugs and died.

She brought together people from the Louisville Fire Department, Centerstone Addiction Recovery Center and more to talk about our city's progress.

According to Mayor Greg Fischer, overdoses are down 30 percent, but it seems to parallel a growing Narcan response. In 2016, the Louisville Fire Department said they administered 600 doses of Narcan. Last year, they did over 800 doses.

“The question is when we save somebody's life, will they go into treatment so that they can get sober, be proud of being sober and we as a community celebrate people when they're sober and encourage them to stay that way,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer explained.

Cooley says there need to be more avenues for addicts to get help.

“We have people on this committee that are powerful, that know people who can do things, and so if they take what they hear here and take it to the next level, anything can be done,” Cooley said.

Amidst a disease that is tearing families apart, there’s a community coming together to try and fight back.

Cooley attends a support group that helps family members of addicts deal with addiction. Click here to find out where local meetings are held.

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