Greenwood golf outing funds Overdose Lifeline’s work against addiction

The inauspicious clear plastic boxes have appeared on buildings and at community gathering places all over Johnson County.

At public libraries, local hotels, government buildings, health clinics, churches and more, the containers have been installed increasingly over the past three years. Johnson County now boasts 23 of the small and inconspicuous boxes.

But in the right moment, the contents could be the difference between life and death.

NaloxBoxes — secured containers filled with the opioid-reversal medication naloxone — have become an important tool as communities face an onslaught of overdose deaths. Installing those boxes has become a main focus of Overdose Lifeline, which for the past 10 years has raised money to have NaloxBoxes placed throughout Indiana.

Officials placed 475 boxes across the state in 2023 alone, and combined with Overdose Lifeline’s education programs and other offerings, the effort is making an impact. Though 1,574 Indiana residents died from opioid overdose in 2023, that number was the lowest since 2019.

“You hate to say things are going well, because it’s such a difficult challenge we’re trying to address. But we’re doing our part to make a difference. I feel proud of the part we’re playing in making a difference,” said Justin Phillips, founder of Overdose Lifeline.

Still, so much more work is needed,

“People are still dying. There are so many risks that have shifted, to include fentanyl being in many elicit drugs you buy off the street. We need to help people understand that this isn’t just about opioids and people using heroin anymore,” Phillips said. “We need to keep doing it to effect long-lasting change.”

To help raise money for its programs, the organization will host the 10th annual Overdose Lifeline Memorial Charity Golf Outing on June 20 at Dye’s Walk Country Club in Greenwood.

“It allows us to fund the operations piece of the organization that isn’t always available through grants,” Phillips said. “Grants typically don’t like to fund operations, they prefer to fund programs. But you can’t do programs without some operations cost.”

In the struggle to reduce overdose deaths from opioids, naloxone has proven to be an incredibly effective tool. Also known by the brand name Narcan, the medication is an opiate antidote that reverses an opioid overdose.

When a person ingests a toxic amount of opioids such as heroin or prescription pills such as OxyContin, Percocet or Vicodin, their central nervous system and respiration system is depressed and breathing slows down or stops. Naloxone attaches itself to opioid receptors in the nervous system, blocks the effects of opioids and reverses the effects of an overdose.

Use of the medication in Indiana increased from 7,878 administered doses in 2017, spiking at 20,572 in 2021 before 15,590 doses reported in 2023, according to the state department of health.

The result has been a reduction in overdose deaths. The Centers for Disease Control recently released monthly numbers for deaths in 2023, and Indiana was second in the nation in reduction of overdose deaths — lowering deaths by 18%.

“That’s in no small part to the work we do at Overdose Lifeline, because we distribute 24,000 doses of overdose-reversal drug a month. And that’s a lot of tireless work on the part of staff and volunteers and of course, we can’t do that without funding and donors,” Phillips said.

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Advocates have increasingly focused on increasing access to the medication. NaloxBoxes have proven to be an effective way to do that — part of the vision Phillips had 10 years ago.

She formed Overdose Lifeline in 2014, after the death of her youngest son, Aaron, due to a heroin overdose. Her aim was to create a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use disorder through advocacy, education and support.

Early on, she saw a need to address overdoses, particularly those caused by opioids. Narcan training, education and access became a key component.

But Overdose Lifeline’s focus extends well beyond Narcan and NaloxBoxes. The organization has provided trainings and educational courses, both in-person and online, to groups from Canada to Florida to Alaska. They’ve partnered with other organizations to offer grief support services.

Throughout the year, children ages 9 to 12 who are impacted by substance use disorder of a family member come to Camp Mariposa — Aaron’s Place. The year-long engagement offers fun, traditional camp activities combined with educational activities and support sessions led by mental health professionals.

All of these programs cost money, and though Overdose Lifeline receives grants to support its services, fundraising is also key. That’s why they host its annual golf outing.

The outing was created by Taylor Kennell and other friends of Leland Plew, the 22-year-old Center Grove area resident who died of an overdose in 2014. Plew was an avid golfer, and his friends wanted to do something involving the game to honor him and others lost to addiction.

As they learned more about Overdose Lifeline’s mission, they felt it was a fitting beneficiary.

Since the inaugural outing in 2015, the event has raised more than $200,000. Last year generated more than $60,000.

The support behind it says that Overdose Lifeline’s message is resonating with the public.

“Big picture, it means we’re having less judgment over substance-use disorder, and we’re willing to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, which is what stigma is,” Phillips said.

IF YOU GO

Overdose Lifeline Memorial Charity Golf Outing

What: The 10th annual fundraiser supporting Overdose Lifeline, which focuses on helping individuals, families, and communities affected by the disease of addiction/substance use disorder through advocacy, education, and support.

When: June 20; registration starts at 9:30 a.m., lunch is served at 11 and the shotgun start is at 11:30.

Where: Dye’s Walk Country Club, 2080 S. SR 135, Greenwood

Register: overdoselifeline.org/events/annual-charity-golf-outing