Take Action Against Pennsylvania's Opiod Epidemic

Coping with mental Illness, substance abuse and addiction is a growing struggle in the Lehigh Valley, and Heroin/ opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in Pennsylvania, killing more individuals each year than motor vehicle accidents.

In his July 11, 2016 Philadelphia Magazine article, Jared Brey writes,

 “The epidemic of opiate addiction has gotten so bad over the last few years that finding better ways to treat addicts — and to stop the steady increase in overdose deaths — has become a rare point of bipartisan agreement.
The uptick in addiction to heroin and prescription opiates has spread to rural and suburban communities, including those in Pennsylvania. Overdose deaths in the commonwealth increased 14-fold between 1979 and 2014, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. And researchers said there’s no reason to expect that those numbers won’t rise for 2015 and beyond. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States — surpassing both traffic fatalities and gun deaths. In Pennsylvania, 2,500 people died of drug overdose in 2014. That number rose to 3,300 in 2015.” Jared Brey, Philadelphia Magazine (Read full article)
 
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley's Public Policy and Advocacy Committee has adopted a comprehensive and long-term attitude towards the problem of Addiction & Mental Health, which includes working to address the opioid epidemic.

Take Action: PA.gov provides the following links with the warning that, “If somebody has taken drugs and becomes unresponsive, call 911 immediately. These resources are intended for preventive measures only.”

• Find Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services
• Locate County Services
• Find a Drug Takeback Location
• Read The Latest News On Combating The Opioid Epidemic

See More

Treatment Resources
You can find treatment resources, PA.gov shares, by calling the County Drug and Alcohol Office where you live. For more information or to get the contact information for your local office, visit the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs website or call 1-800-662-HELP.
 
Definitions:
Opiates are naturally occurring and organic compounds (from opium poppy) which possess a pharmaceutical value to humans and animals and include morphine and codeine.
Opioids  is a broader term and includes all drugs that produce a morphine-like effects including opiates, semi-synthetic opioids derived from opiates (including heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone…) and synthetic opioids which are not derived from opiates (fentanyl, methadone).