Dispose your unused, unwanted and expired prescription drugs properly at disposal boxes across Lake County. And the service is free! In 2016, Lake County disposed of nearly 15,000 pounds. Find a drug disposal box near you, and learn what the program cannot accept.

Crisis intervention officers are receiving specialized training to help them evaluate various mental health crisis incidents thanks to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office receiving the Federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant. Topics covered in their training include mental health signs and symptoms, geriatric issues, returning combat veterans with traumatic brain injury and PTSD, child and adolescent disorders, autism spectrum disorder, excited delirium, medical conditions and psychotropic medications, risk assessment and law enforcement response. Watch this video to learn more about the training.

In observance of January as National Radon Action Month by the Environmental Protection Agency, you are encouraged to check radon levels in your home or apartment during the winter months. 

Radon is an odorless and colorless gas that naturally occurs in rock and soil. It can seep into homes from the soil through cracks in the basement floors and foundations, crawl spaces, poorly sealed sump pumps, porous cinder block walls and other foundation floor and wall penetrations.  

Short-term test kits are available through the Lake County Health Department for $10. Watch this video to learn more about radon and the test kits.

A total of 79 lives were saved by law enforcement officers in 2016 as part of the Lake County Opioid Initiative's Police Naloxone Program. A total of 125 lives have been saved since the program began on Christmas Day 2014. The Lake County Opioid Initiative's mission is to develop, implement, evaluate and sustain a multi-strategy county-wide effort to prevent opioid abuse, addiction, overdose, and death. Learn more about the Opioid Initiative.

Also, 56 individuals have accessed treatment as part of A Way Out Program that launched last June. A Way Out is a Lake County Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion pilot program designed to fast-track users to substance abuse programs and services. This program is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at participating police departments. It ensures no criminal charges will be sought for those that may be in possession of narcotics or paraphernalia as long as assistance is sought out by the prospective program participant. Learn more about the A Way Out program.

Forest Preserve News

Summer camp early bird registration ends Feb. 15
Camps are designed for summer fun and learning, and include topics such as nature, recreation, art and history. Week-long sessions at locations throughout the county make it easy to find camps that are convenient for you. Browse our schedule of camps online, and register by Feb. 15 to receive an early bird discount. Learn more

Cultural items to be transferred to Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians
The remains of a minimum of 13 individuals and associated funerary objects belonging to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians will soon be transferred from the Lake County Discovery Museum's collections to the tribe under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Ownership of the remains was transferred to the District in 1989 from the County of Lake, which had previously acquired the collections from the privately-owned Lake County Museum of History in 1965. Items will be transferred in a manner that is consistent with the NAGPRA. Learn more about the Museum.