Counties are on front line of war on addiction

Four years ago, Digital First Media published a series of news articles on heroin addiction in the suburbs, an issue of growing concern in its tragic toll on families and challenge to law enforcement with crimes fueled by addiction.

The series included alarming statistics and poignant accounts of local families’ losses, as well as stories of recovery and efforts to combat addiction. Since then, the situation has worsened.

Heroin addiction is now labeled an epidemic with victims from families in every walk of life and in all the communities and schools of the suburbs. As the epidemic has grown, so too has the fight. The scourge of heroin is not a secret, and those battling it have moved to the front lines. Consider: A crowd of about 70 people showed up for a Montgomery County forum on addiction in Norristown last fall and learned that 253 died of overdoses in 2016, up from 177 in 2015. The educational forum was one of many being held throughout the suburban counties as focus on education and prevention has grown.

In Chester County, a Drug Overdose Task Force brings together the commissioners’ office, the District Attorney’s office, the Health Department and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, to work on education and prevention.

Two Montgomery County facilities were designated last year as Centers for Excellence receiving state funding to battle addiction. Community Health and Dental in Pottstown received $500,000 to treat about 300 additional patients a year for opioid addiction. The Montgomery County Recovery Center in Norristown was named as one of the first 20 centers and given $1 million in funding.

In Delaware County, where opioid and heroin addiction claimed 227 lives in 2016, District Attorney Jack Whelan four years ago established a Heroin Task Force, which has been instrumental in expanding education, resources, and, most notably getting the opioid-reversal drug naloxone into the hands of police officers.

Delaware County has also expanded treatment options by increasing the number of beds in county hospitals and adding two grant-funded certified recovery specialists. In January, county officials and the Crozer Keystone Health System unveiled The First Steps Treatment Center, a 52-bed unit specializing in heroin and opioid addiction treatment.

In November, Gov. Wolf signed into law a package of four bills that implement better practices on opioid-related issues, including strengthening restrictions on the number of pills that can be prescribed to minors or in emergency rooms. In July, he signed into the budget $10 million in behavioral health funding and $5 million in medical assistance funding, that assists facilities like the Centers of Excellence.

Montgomery County’s Drug Court started by county Judge Steven T. O’Neill was awarded accreditation by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court earlier this year, affirming its importance in rehabilitation,

And recently, a new program was unveiled by Montgomery County prosecutors and Lower Providence police who have joined forces to educate at-risk drug offenders about the dangers of drug use.

Known as the Drug Education and Abuse Prevention initiative, the voluntary program for 18- to 26-year-olds arrested for non-violent, minor drug possession charges hopes to deter offenders from escalating their drug use and to prevent more serious arrests that often accompany drug addiction and lead to criminal records.

Those eligible for the program include young people who are charged with possession of a small amount of illegal drugs or those who have previously been arrested or whose convictions are for underage drinking, minor drug cases or minor theft cases.

“We cannot simply arrest our way of out of this epidemic,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.

“Fighting it requires innovative approaches on multiple fronts to try to stem the progression from low-level drug use to heroin use and a potential overdose down the road. Our hope is that this program will save young people from going down that path and protect their futures.”

Clearly, Pennsylvania and the suburban Philadelphia counties are at the forefront of the fight against the heroin epidemic.

It’s a battle we must continue waging to protect against the devastation of addiction.