JANESVILLE, Wis. — Rock County Public Health Department representatives on Wednesday debuted a progressive new effort in their fight against the opioid epidemic.

The team includes nurse Caitlin Turkowski, who said she was eager to pack up and send 200 new red and white bags filled with the overdose life-saving drug Narcan into the community.

“It’s like Christmas,” Turkowski said of the effort funding with state and federal grant dollars. “Hoping we can continue to work out the stigma and get people the help that they need when they’re ready.”

The effort comes as the community has already seen a sharp rise in overdose deaths, from 40 in 2020 to 64 in 2021.

“We really want to try to do everything we can to raise awareness about this, and to get Narcan into the hands of people, because people a lot of times people they don’t even know they’re taking fentanyl or an opioid because it’s mixed in other things,” Public Health strategist Shari Faber said.

Mercyhealth co-medical director Dr. Chris Wistrom said he was grateful his hospital soon keeping some of the grant funded kits in stock in his ambulance bay, so paramedics can grab them — and offer at an overdose scene.

“As a former EMT, paramedic and firefighter, I’m gonna love to have this tool at my disposal,” Wistrom said, because he believes his county medical can make an even bigger impact.

“I mean, we always help in the moment, but what’s next, what happens the next time this way? We can leave a little solution behind to help someone to cope […] to help someone who’s at risk for overdosing again,” he said.

The program was conceived with the effort of several medical clinicians, survivors and community organizations over the last year.