By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling first took the battle against heroin to the public last spring, he started with education.
The series of “heroin summits” held at area schools gave Schmaling a chance to show the public how grave the threat of heroin – and opiate abuse – truly is.
But at the same time, Schmaling knew there was more he could do. That thought was confirmed when a woman contacted him, telling him she had discovered on a Sunday afternoon her son was a heroin addict.
The woman had no idea what to do.
“I found at that point we didn’t really have that information out there for our residents,” Schmaling said.
Now the Sheriff’s Office is rolling out a new program, with what looks to be strong approval from area high schools.
The First Step program will be presented at a meeting of the Burlington Area School District School Board Monday, Jan. 5, for approval.
The new program makes a $5 test available to anyone who wants it – adult or teenager – no questions asked.
“You can take one and leave,” Schmaling said.
The presentation is being made to the School Board to get approval to make the kits available through the district. Already, Union Grove and Waterford Union High Schools have approved the program.
“In a nutshell, it’s a drug-education-type programming,” said BASD Superintendent Peter Smet. “We’re going to have to learn more about it.”
Schmaling said the sheriff’s department would have a test packet available at the presentation. In addition to the test – which screens for a variety of opiates through a saliva test in about 10 minutes – the packets include information on where to find help.
“Our approach has always been enforcement, prevention and life saving,” Schmaling said. “This First Step program is basically a part of our educational piece to the heroin epidemic.
“It’s education and prevention,” he added.
Schmaling stressed that the process is anonymous, and that the testing kits will not require any identification or law enforcement action.
“We want to empower the community,” said Schmaling, adding that the tests can be given to family, friends and neighbors – as well as the information that accompanies the test.
Schmaling is also getting some pleasure out of the way the program will be funded. Donations and asset forfeiture funds – specifically, drug money seized from dealers – will cover the cost of the program. He said no tax dollars would be used.
“It seems to make sense to me that the very drug dealers who have been distributing the poison in our communities ought to be the ones paying for prevention and education to help people who are addicted,” Schmaling said.
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