Residents of Brown County now has access to expanded support for those impacted by substance use disorder, according to a community announcement.
The nonprofit Emily’s Hope brings its Post-Overdose Response Team (PORT) to the Aberdeen area, offering immediate, compassionate assistance to individuals who survive an overdose. The program began offering services in Brown County on May 22.
The PORT model pairs trained peer support specialists with public health and safety partners to provide rapid outreach to overdose survivors. These specialists meet individuals wherever they are—whether in the hospital, at home or in the community—to offer nonjudgmental support and resources tailored to their needs.
Services include free naloxone and training, help connecting to treatment, assistance navigating medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) refills ordered by a physician and ongoing follow-up for up to a year. All services are free, confidential and require no commitment.
“We will soon be entering the third year of our PORT program, and we continue to see just how powerful it is when compassion meets timely support,” said Angela Kennecke, founder of Emily’s Hope. “Every survivor deserves someone who shows up for them without judgment and with real solutions. Expanding into Brown County means more lives reached, more families supported and more opportunities for recovery.”