AMA presents government service award to Illinois chief of police

WASHINGTON —The American Medical Association (AMA) presented Village of Mundelein, IL Chief of Police, Eric Guenther with the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service. Chief Guenther was selected for the AMA’s top government service award for his nationally recognized work to shape a productive, treatment-based response to the opioid abuse epidemic.

Chief Guenther spearheaded the award-winning “A Way Out” program, Lake County’s response to the opioid abuse crisis, which allows law enforcement to place people with opioid use disorder into substance abuse treatment programs as an alternative to arrest and prosecution through the criminal justice system. “A Way Out,” which has the participation of several police departments throughout Lake County, has created partnerships with every treatment center in the county, and has changed the relationship between law enforcement and drug users, making departments themselves a starting point in the recovery process.