WHO: State Senator Mattie Hunter, Florence Mason, Director of the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, and others
WHAT: Press Conference to launch opioid task force on International Overdose Awareness Day
WHERE: Brighter, Behavior, Choices Inc., Phase II – Recovery Café Chicago, 6506 S. Western Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60636

WHEN: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31

CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter is hosting a press conference on International Opioid Awareness Day to announce the launch of the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, which she is the convener of.

Florence Mason, Director of the South Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force, Walonza Lee, Program Director Office of Substance Use Chicago Department of Public Health, and Livia VerklanMcinnes, GIS Analyst for the Chicago Department of Public Health, and La Shaun Rickman, Executive Director of Brighter, Behavior, Choices Inc., will join Hunter as speakers.

“Our goal with this task force is to make treatment and other resources available for those struggling with substance abuse more accessible,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “We want to provide support for those dealing with substance use and their loved ones with tangible resources to combat this crisis and let them know that overdose is avoidable when help is available.”

The South Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force meets the third Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon. To attend a virtual meeting, subscribe to their e-newsletter on their website.

CHICAGO – Free health screenings, giveaways, live entertainment and family activities were all available at this year’s Family Health & Fitness Fair, hosted by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

Held at the Illinois Institute of Technology for the eighteenth year in a row, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this grand event featured free immunizations, school supplies and haircuts. Approximately 80 vendors participated - the most in the event’s history.

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WHO: State Senator Mattie Hunter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute For Positive Living, State Representative Lamont Robinson, Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer and others
WHAT: A free health fair event
WHERE: Illinois Institute of Technology on the field north of S. R. Crown Hall at 33rd & State Street
WHEN: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6

CHICAGO – Health screenings, giveaways, live entertainment and family activities will be available at this year’s Family Health & Fitness Fair, hosted by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

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CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) released the following statement following the tragic shootings that occurred over the holiday weekend including the police shooting of Jayland Walker in Akron, Ohio and a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois:

“This cannot keep happening. Gun violence is a public health crisis that plagues our nation day after day. One day, it’s a Black man that was shot 60 times by police. The next, it’s a mass shooting at an Independence Day parade. Then, there’s a residential shooting in Parkway Gardens. So many have died, and so many communities have been affected, whether it be gang violence, carjacking, police brutality or an instance of domestic terrorism.

“The common denominator every time is the guns. We must expand gun control, not just in our state, but across the nation. Our residents deserve better than a life of fear at every turn. In America, nowhere is safe. I remain committed to ensuring that this will not remain the case, and that communities can feel safe again.”