Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
State lawmakers hear testimony on opioid epidemic
EAST BRANDYWINE >> Addiction does not discriminate.
State Rep. Becky Corbin, R-155, of East Brandywine, with Chairman of the House Majority Policy Committee, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin, invited state legislators from across Pennsylvania to East Brandywine on Thursday to hear testimony on the opioid epidemic.
“Most of the people who are dealing with this problem right now, none of them ever woke up and said today’s the day I’m going
to ruin my life by becoming an addict of prescription pain pills or heroin,” First Assistant District Attorney Michael Noone said.
He said that the people who are suffering from opioid addiction are not meeting people in the “bad side of town in a dark alley” but are getting the pills from their doctor’s office, friends or family. He noted that many people began their addiction by taking prescribed medication or by having access to their home medicine cabinet. He said that access to pain medication has become easier.
There are more than 20 drug take-back boxes in Chester County, many in police stations, for a secure location where the public can discard unused or expired prescription medications. The program was started with the support of Corbin, who helped secure funding for the collection boxes.
Noone thanked the House for approving a bill that would reinstate minimum prison sentences for some drug and violent crime offenses, a tool he described as helpful to law enforcement. Coatesville Police Chief John “Jack” Laufer III echoed the importance of that and said drug dealers typically have been arrested shortly after their release for violating parole.
“The drug dealers benefit from someone else’s heartache and despair,” Noone said.
The disease of addiction does not discriminate either.
“This epidemic knows no bounds. It doesn’t know class, color, condition,” Laufer said. “It doesn’t mean because Coatesville is here, it’s an inner-city problem. It’s a problem that is impacting all of the communities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the country. Don’t think, ‘oh it can’t happen in our neighborhood.’”
Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is carried by all 47 municipal police departments in Chester County. Almost every department has administered Narcan, an opioid-blocking medication, in attempt to save a life.
Laufer said that the Coatesville Police Department decided to get involved with Project Naloxone, unsure if the police officers could make a difference. They did. Laufer noted that his officers saved 15 lives since the department participated. However, he said that his officers saved several of the same people more than once.
“Narcan is a result, not the solution,” Laufer said. “It’s a fantastic program, we’re saving lives. It’s not the solution; it’s a result of what’s happening.”
He thanked Ethan Healy for his efforts to lead Project Naloxone. Healy agreed with Laufer and said that Narcan is administered to save a life. That person who overdosed is given a resource card with the encouragement of where to seek help.
“When it’s used, it’s a quick fix,” said Healy, Project Naloxone manager, with Good Fellowship EMS. “We would like to see more people seeking treatment.”
Healy noted that Naxolone has been used on 165 occasions, ultimately saving 156 people by police since January 2015. The data reflects the amount of Narcan administered by police, but not by EMS personnel. Healy explained that Narcan is only effective in reversing the effects of opioids.
“Too many lives are being lost to addiction, too many families are forever faced with the impact of the loss of a loved one,” Healy said. “These lives matter.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids killed more than 33,000 people in 2015. Of that, 72 fatal overdoses occurred in Chester County, according to the Chester County Coroner’s Office.
Healy said that the addiction has impacted all ages, with the youngest person to receive Narcan at 17 and the oldest at 69 years old. He noted Narcan was commonly administered to people aged 19 to 29, and most were white men.
Additional speakers encouraged the lawmakers to seek having more treatment centers in the area, and told them that treatment centers are often full and people have to wait for an available bed.