Its received less attention in the past 2 years during the pandemic but the Nation’s opioid crisis, and the resulting death rate has continued at an alarming pace.
Counties across the state are set to receive their first payments for Rehabilitation services from a multi billion dollar settlement with pharmaceutical distributors.
Just last week state experts and lawmakers reviewing the opioid crisis and its horrifying history
“Despite our efforts, the annual overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2012, the nature of substance abuse is changing”
Most of the overdose deaths due to Heroin, Fentanyl and more recently
“And now the presence of a substance called Xylizine, Xzlizine is used as an animal tranquilizer and when used by human it causes the respiratory system to be depressed.the effects of Xylizine can not be reversed by Naloxone”
Pennsylvania is receiving just over a Billion dollars in the National Opioid Case Settlement, All 67 counties should be getting their first payments in a few months. Centre County’s total allocation is just over 1.7 million dollars paid over the next 18 years.
The settlement terms specify which drug related treatment services can receive funding
“And they are sorta narrow. I would of liked a broader scope of possibilities for that money, that being said we have the opportunities here in Centre County to use that money effectively and we intend to do so”
Last year alone in Pennsylvania there were 4300 overdose deaths.
