Overdose prompts police, EMS presence along popular recreation trail
HILLSDALE — First responders in Hillsdale were dispatched to a drug overdose in a wooded area near a popular recreation trail behind local businesses late Saturday night.
A 911 caller reported that a 39-year-old man had overdosed on heroin and wasn't breathing.
First responders quickly administered the life-saving drug naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan, which is an opioid blocker, successfully bringing the man back to life.
He declined to be transported to Hillsdale Hospital for further treatment.
The incident occurred along the Hills-Jo Recreational Trail, a paved trail running through Hillsdale from Baw Beese Lake on the eastern edge to the city of Jonesville on the western edge.
Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner confirmed Monday morning the incident occurred at a homeless encampment and said the man who overdosed is a Hillsdale local with family ties to the city, but he was unsure if the man was living along the trail or visiting with others who had set up camp in the woods.
More:Homeless in Hillsdale: A 'complex' and growing issue
Hephner declined to identify the man.
The wooded areas along the trail have become home to a growing homeless population in Hillsdale over the past few years, with a larger series of camps in a wooded area off the trail closer to Baw Beese Lake.
The homelessness issue was brought to the forefront of local political conversations after The Hillsdale Daily News highlighted the growing crisis in an in-depth story in September.
Homelessness was a key topic during a recent "Meet the Candidates" forum hosted by The Hillsdale Daily News and The Hillsdale Collegian at Hillsdale College.
More:Homelessness takes center stage at 'Meet the Candidates' forum
During the forum, a resident asked each of the five candidates for city council and mayoral positions how they plan to address the homeless issue if elected.
Mayor Adam Stockford, who is seeking a second term as mayor against challenger Rondee Butcher Nov. 8, said the homeless issue is "very complicated" and that he tried putting together a Homeless Task Force in 2020 but efforts were hampered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ward 4 candidate Penny Swan called the homeless issue one of the biggest threats facing the city and said the city should not enable them. Her opponent, Joshua Paladino, said the homeless issue is largely a mental health issue.
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The topic has also been sporadically discussed by the Hillsdale City Council over the past year. Councilman Rob Socha has voiced concerns over homeless people loitering in Mrs. Stocks Park and Mayor Adam Stockford has expressed concerns after noticing a homeless man sleeping on a bench downtown.
Many of Hillsdale's homeless persons suffer from either mental health or substance abuse issues, or a combination of both, which has led to the Hillsdale City Police Department having contact with homeless persons almost daily, according to city officials.
— Corey Murray is a staff writer for The Hillsdale Daily News who can be reached at cmurray@hillsdale.net. Follow him on Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Overdose prompts police, EMS presence along popular rec trail
