Fond du Lac installs 9 new overdose aid kits throughout city in fight against fentanyl

 

FOND DU LAC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Fond du Lac is getting aggressive in the fentanyl fight. In one day, saturating the city with OAK boxes. That stands for Overdose Aid Kits. They installed them in nearly a dozen different locations Tuesday afternoon.

"Two mothers here in Fond du Lac have experienced a profound loss," said Jessica Geschke of Start Healing Now.

And they've turned that loss into action, joining community leaders installing OAK boxes at nine different locations, including:

• Two at ADVOCAP – 19 W. 1st Street
• Beacon House – 166 S. Park Ave.
• Brother Town Nation – 311 Winnebago Dr.
• Critter Junction – 154 Satterlee St.
• Holy Family Warming Shelter – 73 E. 1st St.
• Hope Lutheran Church – 260 Vincent St.
• Rainbow Bridge – 212 N. Main St.
• Sippel Funeral Home – 1311 Thorp St. in St. Cloud, Wisconsin

Previous locations in Fond du Lac include the Gratitude Club and Lighthouse Christian Church.

One box at ADVOCAP was named for Kevin Fischer, a Wisconsin man gone too soon.

"Right here in Wisconsin, with these 10 installs that we did today, we have surpassed the 900 mark of OAK boxes in our state," said Geschke.

The goal is to keep people alive.

"Jacob didn't want to die. He wasn't ready to die. He just wanted his pains to go away," said Tammy Freund, mom of Jacob Starks.

Jacob Starks was 28. His mom says he'd given up heroin, clean for 28 months, but just before Christmas of 2019…

"I didn't know he was willing and wanting to use again," said Freund.

He didn't know the heroin he bought was fentanyl. Tammy Freund's dedicated an OAK box in her son's name to be installed at Hope Lutheran Church where Jacob's confirmation picture is still on the wall.

"It's hard. People think that five years, that's a long time. It's a long time but this is maybe a start to healing some of the pain," said Freund.

Twenty-four people died from drug overdose and poisoning in Fond du Lac in 2023, but it's important to note that fentanyl was present in 87% of those cases.

"I want anyone and everyone to have Narcan on their person. This should just be like a Band-Aid in your purse, to answer that question. Everyone should be carrying Narcan," said Geschke.

If you don't know how to use Narcan, the Fond du Lac County Health Department is willing to teach anyone. Just give them a call.

Health officials say if you administer Narcan on someone who isn't experiencing a drug overdose, it's okay.

"If it's a different medical condition, it's not going to help that, but it's not going to hurt either. So it's safe to use. That's why it's so important to be accessible, because there's no negative side effects with that," said Sarah Gradinjan, Fond du Lac County Health Department.

And the Fond du Lac County Health Department also has a five-minute tutorial online on how to use Narcan.