New data in Macomb County, Michigan, shows overdose numbers and deaths have dropped significantly in Sterling Heights in recent years.  

Since its peak in 2020, overdose deaths in the city have dropped by nearly 50%

Police in Sterling Heights say community outreach is a major contributor to this success.

Lindsay Nankervis tells CBS News Detroit that it changed her life. At age 15, Nankervis started struggling with substance abuse.  

"Before I knew it, I couldn't stop. Like if I even tried, I would be so violently ill, so it just seemed easier to keep going," said Nankervis. "It started with opiates...it was painkillers. Didn't end up in such a great environment. I had gotten off painkillers but got introduced to drinking, and I had to give my kids away."

Recovery felt out of reach until she was introduced to the nonprofit Face Addiction Now (FAN), formerly known as Families Against Narcotics, which provided Nankervis with support and resources.

More than three years later, Nankervis is now giving back as an employee with FAN through their program Hope Not Handcuffs and is working with law enforcement, including the Sterling Heights Police Department, to change the stigma surrounding addiction.  

"The numbers speak for themselves. The amount of overdoses have continued to decrease," said Sterling Heights Police Chief Andy Satterfield.

Chief Satterfield says Sterling Heights police have partnered with FAN for years on three initiatives: Hope Not Handcuffs, the Quick Response Team, and REDIRECT (Referral, Engagement, Diversion, and Recovery through Intervention, Education, Community, and Treatment). All programs that provide pathways to treatment.

"Since the Quick Response Team went into effect in 2020, we've reduced overdoses by 63% and deaths by 45%, so it's been very successful," Satterfield said.

This approach, according to FAN Executive Director Linda Davis, is proven to tackle the problem of substance abuse with compassion.

"I think we've all learned that incarceration doesn't really work to change behavior. By partnering with us, they can begin to see crime in their community go down, create a healthy environment for individuals that live there, and really work with individuals to see progress instead of just them coming back through the system on a repeated basis," Davis said.

Satterfield says the Sterling Heights Police Department plans to continue its efforts to expand these programs even further.