COVINGTON, Ky. -- A doctor and a judge were among the hundreds of volunteers who hit the streets Sunday to distribute resource guides to those affected by heroin.
Volunteers have hung the Northern Kentucky Addiction Helpline on the doors of more than 80,000 Greater Cincinnati homes this summer.
Kenton County Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann said he joined the effort because he has seen firsthand how heroin destroys lives.
"It's unprecedented levels of those presently in addiction and those who have no way out or can't find a way out,” Knochelmann said.
Without a plan to get out of addiction, Knochelmann said, people are going to continue to die.
St. Elizabeth Medical Center saw more than 1,100 overdoses and more than 230 drug-related deaths in 2015.
The impact reaches even the smallest community members; more than 100 babies were born to drug-addicted mothers in 2015.
Dr. Jim Keller, a St. Elizabeth physician, passed out helpline brochures Sunday simply because he doesn’t want anyone people to die.
"If they have a problem or think they may be headed toward a problem or have a loved one or have a concern - call,” Keller said. “Call sooner rather than call later. It's a terrible addiction, and people die very easily from it."
