Madison Kwiecinski 

News Editor

Mvk5945@psu.edu

On Wednesday September 8th 2021, Democratic State Representatives Pat Harkins and Bob Merski announced that Erie would be receiving $299,733 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, PCCD. 

This funding will be used to continue an Erie pilot program aimed at educating students on the dangers of opioids. The funding going to Family Services of Northwest Pennsylvania will support the Erie Opioid Misuse Prevention Project.This program is one of five pilot programs that utilize evidence-based strategies to reduce risk factors that lead kids towards substance abuse. The Pilot programs operate through partnerships among counties, school districts, local nonprofits and the community at large.

“The pilot programs are evidence-based and have been working to make sure kids understand the risks of opioid use and help families develop strategies to keep kids safe and steer them away from drug use and other risky behaviors.” Representative Merski stated, “Thanks to this funding, those programs are going to continue for another year.” 

Erie opioid misuse numbers were on a decline a few years ago, but have been trending upward in more recent years. The pandemic specifically has been linked to a rising trend in opioid use, as it isolated people. The pandemic also made access to typical addiction recovery care harder to access, and limited social programs that help with drug misuse prevention. 

Throughout 2020, Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed 232 opioid related deaths, with the results of 17 possible cases still pending. This is a nearly 50% increase, not including the pending cases, from 2019 which only had 156 opioid related deaths. “Sadly, each one of these numbers represents a preventable death of one of our neighbors.” said County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. 

Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein severely warns Erie County citizens to stay away from cocaine, the substance responsible for a substantial amount of all drug related deaths. “Cocaine in Erie County is likely to contain fentanyl, which is a powerful and dangerous opioid that can stop your breathing and end your life almost instantaneously,” said Burstein. In 2020, toxicology reports show that 84% of all opioid related deaths involved fentanyl. 

The funding received through the PCCD is critical to help protect against opioids in the county. These pilot programs teach about drug misuse and prevention, and help to distribute necessary items like Narcan to people in need. 

In addition to the PCCD pilot program funding, the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine was approved for funding to implement a study on comprehensive approaches to early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance or mental health disorders and those at increased risk of developing those disorders.

(these do not have to be included, but I thought it might be nice to attach next to the article or format in replace of a picture) 

ECDOH Opioid Trainings: http://www.erie.gov/opioidtrainings

Never Use Alone: neverusealone.com or (800) 484-3731

Erie County Addiction Hotline: (716) 831-7007

Buffalo & Erie County Crisis Services Hotline: (716) 834-3131