PAGE 6 Heroin, from page 1 Officer Adam Salyards is the community relations/crime prevention specialists at the State College Police Department. Two weeks ago, he saved a county resident’s life by administering the opioid effect reversing drug Narcan, now carried by three local police departments in Centre County. He said the police department is, many times, the first to come into contact with people who have overdosed on heroin or prescription medication, and its a trend he said is on the rise. “We’re seeing more and more overdoses and, as a result, more deaths,” said Salyards. “And, in addition to that, we’re seeing an increase in related crimes, such as thefts and serial burglaries. Addicts need money to fund their habit, and they’re committing crimes to get what they need. It’s getting worse.” Salyards also said his department has seen an increase in distribution of heroin and other opioid-based drugs. The drugs are getting stronger too. According to Jason Snyder, communications director for Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, his office has seen an increase in the drug fentanyl showing up as a “cutting” agent, used to mix with heroin to make the product go further, thus making the dealers more money. He said fentanyl is an opiate 100 times stronger than the powerful painkiller morphine. “People really don’t know what they are getting when they buy a bag of heroin,” he said. “One dose can kill.” Cathy Arbogast, assistant administrator for Centre County Drug and Alcohol Services said the number of outreach calls that come into her office has drastically increased over the past sev-
THE CENTRE COUNTY GAZETTE eral years. She said many of the calls are relating to people with no insurance to pay for help, or the access to resources to get the help they need. Several of the panelists noted that many people don’t want to come forth to seek help with their addiction because of the stigma society has put on drug addicts. All agreed this is a stigma that needs to be lifted, and these people should get the help they need, without fear of ridicule or shame. “Stop thinking it looks a certain way, because it doesn’t,” said Katie Hugo, certified recovery specialist with Crossroads Counseling. “It’s just not 18-year-old and 19-year-old teenagers dying because of these drugs. Now, we’re seeing a lot of people in their 30s and 40s becoming addicted too.” Dr. Kassandra Botti, director of Emergency Medical Services at Mount Nittany Medical Center explained that in the past year, she too has noticed an increase in heroin overdose patients in the emergency room aged 30 to 40. “People have chronic pain issues, and when their physicians begin to wean them off their medications, they can’t handle it. They are already addicted,” she said. “When they can’t get their prescribed medications as easily anymore, they tend to seek other methods, and they can get the same high from heroin. And, at a cheaper price.” Like the stigma of who does heroin, the panel also discussed several other myths about addictions, which led Bradley to coax discussions about ways to lift these misconceptions. “I think peer-to-peer testimonial is the most powerful way for us to overcome these stigmas,” said Snyder. “There are a lot of people I talk to about addiction that have no idea what they are talking about, and we can’t fault
JULY 28-AUGUST 3, 2016
TIM WEIGHT/For the Gazette
CENTRE COUNTY Commissioner Steve Dershem speaks at the Town Hall meeting about heroin and opioid use on July 26. them fully. They got their information from a bad source, and they are just passing on what they think they know.” “People that have addiction problems are not bad people,” commented Benninghoff. “They are good people with a bad problem.” Arbogast said disrupting the stigmas placed on addicts is an issue leaders will need to deal with for a long time to come; however, she said people in positions of assistance need to continue to show people there is hope, and through long-term recovery programs, beating the addiction is possible. Hugo also noted treating opioid-addicted people with other
diagnosis can be positive in the long-term recovery of patients, thus further reducing the societyplaced stigmas. “We need to diagnosis all the issues of the person, including their addictions, mental and physical health and other personal issues they are having before we decide on what kind of treatment they need,” Hugo said. “We need to focus on treating the whole person and not just the addict.” The panel concluded their discussion with tips and recommendations county residents can do concerning this growing epidemic. Panelists discussed The Act 139 Good Samaritan Law, which legally protects residents
who help an overdose victim receive medical treatment; the location of seven county drop boxes for proper disposal of unused or unwanted medications; the availability of Narcan without a prescription at local pharmacies for families and people susceptible to heroin or opioid overdose; and continued involvement in awareness and education about the heroin and opioid epidemic in Centre County. The next HOPE sponsored town hall meeting is scheduled for mid-September and the topic will be treatment and recovery. “We’re also seeing that more and more people are reporting heroin or opiates as their drug of choice,” said Arbogast.