ANTIOCH, Ill. — A community resource fair later this month in Antioch hopes to provide a “hometown response” to the national drug epidemic.

The Antioch Police Department is organizing the Opioid and Drug Awareness Resource Fair from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Antioch Community High School.

It’s the first time the village has hosted the event and comes as the village said the number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses trends upward. In 2022, the reported 22 overdoses, up from 10 in 2021.

“With the prevalence of addiction, we saw the need to expand our community education initiative about this problem,” Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said in a news release. “Our goal is to inform people about the impacts of addiction and what we are doing to combat its effects.”

The resource fair will focus on community education, including presentations about the crisis in Lake County and how community organizations are able to help.

The village said parents or anyone who wants to learn more about the signs of drug use or anyone in the community who wants to learn more are encouraged to attend.

Nicasa Behavioral Health Services is also providing free training and access to naloxone, also known as Narcan.