In November 2024, the Illinois Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) team, in partnership with the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), hosted the first-ever Illinois Prevention Summit. The event brought together 135 public safety, public health and prevention professionals from across the state. This day-long summit marked a significant step forward in fostering collaboration to address overdose, trauma and mental health needs in Illinois under the theme of “Stronger Together.” With support from ADAPT (A Division for Advancing Prevention and Training), the Summit was developed and led by the IL Public Health Analyst (PHA) and the IL Drug Intelligence Officer (DIO). The IL ORS team played a central role in shaping the agenda, ensuring a strong focus on cross-sector engagement and rallying prevention champions and hope ambassadors from across the state. The event was made possible through partnerships with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Illinois Prevention Network, the National Guard Counterdrug Program, the Illinois Drug Enforcement Officers Association and Joliet Junior College, whose combined efforts helped deliver a meaningful and impactful experience for all attendees. The Summit achieved four core objectives:

• Sharing early intervention strategies that use public health and public safety partnerships to prevent overdose
• Training attendees on approaches to address co-occurring substance use, trauma and mental health needs
• Equipping participants with evidence-informed tools for maintaining personal well-being while serving others
• Preparing community-based organizations to cultivate trauma-informed, healing-centered environments

The event also featured presentations from regional ORS partners, including the Kansas PHA, who delivered a compelling session on using social determinants of health overlays in the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP). By bringing together a diverse group of professionals and organizations, the Illinois Prevention Summit showcased the power of intentional, coordinated efforts to build healthier, more resilient communities. “Before the summit, we were thrilled to see our room capacity of 135 participants filled with Illinois’ most influential prevention champions from diverse sectors and the far corners of our state. During the summit, we were energized by the participants’ enthusiasm to connect and their active engagement in sharing reflections and insights. After the summit, the 75 extremely positive evaluations confirmed the tremendous value of coming together to discuss the remarkable initiatives happening across Illinois. Most inspiring, however, has been hearing how participants have so quickly taken action to invite summit speakers to present at their coalition meetings, eager to bring these tools, programs, and data to their communities. This collaborative effort is already helping Illinois to become more trauma-informed, healing-centered, and effective in overdose prevention strategies. We are truly stronger together!” – Illinois Public Health Analyst