Members of Governor Tom Wolf’s administration say the pandemic dramatically impacted their fight against the state’s opioid epidemic.
Secretary of Drug and Alcohol Programs Jennifer Smith says the progress the state made in 2018 and 2019 was effectively wiped out by the pandemic.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, under Governor Wolf’s leadership we made tremendous progress by lowering the overdose death rate almost 20 percent from the height of the crisis in 2017,” Smith said. “Today, as we look back on the calendar year 2020 and the loss of 5,200 Pennsylvanians, we are reminded of how quickly circumstances can change,” Smith said.
Our newsroom was not able to confirm the number of overdose deaths in Butler County in 2020, but the county had been following statewide trends according to the University of Pittsburgh. In 2017, the county saw its highest number of deaths from opioids at 92 and it dropped to 46 just a year later. Fentanyl still is responsible for a majority of overdose deaths in the county according to the research.
Smith says they are renewing their efforts to battling the opioid epidemic and will focus again on life-saving treatments and support services.
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