Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
County’s opioid crisis fight starting to pay dividends
Last year, Chester County collected and disposed of more than 10,000 pounds of unwanted medication
For Americans under age 50, the leading cause of death used to be injuries caused by accidents. Now, it’s drug overdoses.
Last year, Chester County officials collected and disposed of 10,000 pounds of unwanted medication. In the last four years, the number of drugs collected in Chester County has octupled – that’s eight times more, from 1,392 pounds to 10,045 pounds.
“The national opioid crisis is affecting people from all walks of life,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. “In Chester County, we are fortunate to have the resources to stay on the cutting edge of the fight against this epidemic, using multiple tactics to protect our citizens and showing the way for areas that do not have our tools. The bad news is that this battle will continue for a substantial period of time. The good news is that we are beginning to see the tide turning in our favor, and we are making substantial progress in this national health emergency.”
Unfortunately, the opioid crisis is growing. In Chester County, 547 people died of drug overdoses in the past three years, according to a recent report by the DEA’s Philadelphia Division and the University of Pittsburgh. Nearly
69 percent of those drug overdose deaths were men, 90.5 percent of whom were white. Nearly 47 percent were in the age range of 25 to 44.
“Chester County uses every tool at our disposal to fight the opioid epidemic,” said Terence Farrell, county commissioner. “But we know that we need a balanced approach. We need to cut off the supply by locking up dealers. We also need to divert addicts from jail and get them into treatment.”
Drop box program
Chester County’s drug disposal box program was started in 2014 by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, and Chester County police departments. The boxes allow citizens to dispose of drugs in a safe manner, simply dropping the drugs into the locked boxes for later disposal by law enforcement.
And the program is working, according to numbers released by county officials. Hogan said the destruction of these drugs keeps dangerous opioids from falling into the hands of addicts or children, as well as making sure that the drugs are not dumped into the drinking water system.
“The Chester County Commissioners are dedicated to doing everything possible to create a safe environment for the good people of Chester County,” said Michelle Kichline, county commissioner. “The opioid epidemic has hit young and old, rich and poor, touching everybody. We will carry on, working with the District Attorney, our Health Department, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, hospitals and many, many other partners because it is the only way we will win this battle.”
Drug drop boxes, which are located at nearly every police department in Chester County and other secure locations, are being utilized heavily.
“The drug drop box program has been a tremendous tool in our efforts to address the opioid crisis,” said Vince Brown, executive director of Chester County Drug and Alcohol Services. “The boxes have provided a local and safe way to easily dispose of medications, which has eliminated an enormous amount of potentially dangerous drugs from circulation.”
Narcan saves
Nearly every day, law enforcement officers in Chester County use naloxone, or Narcan, to save lives. It is carried in every police cruiser and police officers receive extensive training on how to administer it. There are 189 certified Narcan administrators in Chester County. Narcan, nasal spray, is an opioid antagonist, which means that it blocks the brain’s receptors for opioids. Simply put, when administered to a person who is overdosing on heroin or opioids, Narcan reverses the overdose and stops the drugs from killing the person.
“Every successful Narcan administration is another life saved,” said Kathi Cozzone, county commissioner. “And every life saved is a chance for a young person to get into treatment, break their addiction, and live a full and rewarding life.”
Overdose Prevention Task Force
To combat the crisis, county officials recently created an Overdose Prevention Task Force to coordinate activities. The Task Force is led by the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Drug and Alcohol, and the Department of Health. The Task Force includes more than 50 other organizations and stakeholders who are involved in the systemic fight against the opioid scourge.
The Task Force engages in multiple activities to address the problem, Hogan said. The Task Force helps to educate students through the Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education program, doing presentations with Holcomb Behavioral Health at schools across Chester County. The Task Force has worked to educate doctors about overprescribing opioids, resulting in the Chester County physicians becoming a leading voice for reform of opioid prescribing practices. The Task Force is working on a “warm hand-off” project, where overdose victims are guided into treatment. The Task Force now has a web site (https://stopodchesco. org) for residents to get information on the epidemic.
Hogan said county officials are aggressively attacking the problem. With prosecutions like Operation Wildfire, the District Attorney’s Office has targeted heroin and opioid dealers. Chester County has one of the longest tenured drug courts in Pennsylvania, diverting addicts from the prison system.
Overall picture
The number of opioid prescriptions across the United States is now decreasing. After two decades of explosive growth in opioid prescriptions, the number of prescriptions and number of pills prescribed per prescription both are declining, as doctors realize the dangers of these drugs.
Bus as doctors are prescribing fewer opioids, some patients are turning to cheaper alternatives, such as heroin. Heroin from Philadelphia is the cheapest and purest heroin in the United States, and often is spiked with deadly fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful than heroin.
In the last 20 years, over 500,000 people in the United States have died from drug overdoses; some experts are estimating that the nation will lose another 500,000 people just in the next 10 years as the country emerges from the opioid epidemic.
One of the key findings of a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency last year was that the presence of an opioid, illicit or prescribed by a doctor, was identified in 85 percent of drug-related overdose deaths.
Locally, according to Hogan, physicians, and politicians in the county are now aware of the dangers of opioids and heroin. Opioid prescriptions are being cut back to appropriate uses, such as immediately after major surgeries and with end-stage cancer pain. Ironically, one of the best signals law enforcement has that heroin use is starting a long-term decline is the fact that international drug trafficking organizations are now increasing their production of cocaine, anticipating a fall in the demand for heroin.
“Chester County will keep using its considerable resources and leadership to fight the opioid epidemic,” Hogan said. “The county will continue to see the impact of this health crisis for years. However, working together, we will save every life we can. And, at last, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this problem.”
A full list of prescription drop box locations can be found at http://www.chesco.org/2673/Medication-Drop-Off.
“Chester County uses every tool at our disposal to fight the opioid epidemic. But we know that we need a balanced approach. We need to cut off the supply by locking up dealers. We also need to divert addicts from jail and get them into treatment.” — Chester County Commissioner Terence Farrell