KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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We’ve been covering how the opioid epidemic is affecting the Kansas City metro since the beginning. Last spring, Johnson County ramped up its efforts.
When Johnson County took a closer look at how it could help the problem, leaders decided to focus on prevention and support.
From 2022 to 2024, the county had a 23% decrease in EMS calls where Narcan was administered. Part of that can be attributed to the availability of Narcan.
Anybody can access it for free through county partner DCCCA. It’s available at county libraries, too.
“Even from 2023, the numbers started to decrease when we talk about fatal overdoses from opioids, and most commonly fentanyl. And so that is something worth celebrating,” said Sierra Wright, manager of prevention with the Johnson County Mental Health Center.
Wright said JCMHC worked hard in 2024 on fentanyl messaging — especially with kids. The average age for first drug use in Kansas is around 12 or 13 years old.
“We thought it was really, really important to have a localized response that provided information to youth on the dangers of fentanyl, but did so in a way that would really resonate with them,” Wright said. "Oftentimes, a lot of fear tactics and scare tactics that are used when we say, you know ... don't do drugs, but we don't always do a great job of explaining the why behind that.”
For 2025, Wright said the county is still focused on increasing awareness for teens and access to treatment for everyone. JCMHC also hopes to continue seeing a decrease in overdose deaths.
