Mar 28, 2024 6 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Kiandra Foster of the University of Pittsburgh’s PERU (Program Evaluation & Research Unit) discusses opioid overdose data during the Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition meeting on Wednesday.

The Washington Opioid Overdose Coalition, formed in 2016 to address Washington County’s opioid crisis, hosted its annual community meeting Wednesday to discuss the organization’s efforts to prevent opioid overdoses, reduce stigma, and provide access to treatment.

“Since 2016, we’ve developed strategic plans, and we have had an impact on overdoses resulting in deaths in the county,” said Cheryl Andrews, executive director of Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission and co-chair of the coalition, noting the progress that has been made since the county made national news for recording eight overdose deaths in a little over an hour in 2015.

Andrews, along with representatives from the University of Pittsburgh’s Program Evaluation & Research Unit (PERU) – an organization that collects and analyzes opioid data – discussed topics that included reducing stigma, guidelines for harm-reduction practices, education, and increased access and use of treatment programs.

Andrews’ message: people can and do recover.

“When people reach out for recovery, it’s usually because someone showed compassion and support,” said Andrews. “Breaking down patterns of stigma is essential so people feel comfortable to reach out for help.”

About every two hours, someone in Pennsylvanian dies from a drug overdose.

According to Pennsylvania Department of Health data, there were 5,158 drug overdoses in 2022, down 4% from the previous year.

In Washington County, there were 88 overdose deaths in 2022, a majority from fentanyl and cocaine, compared to 106 deaths in 2021, according to the Washington County coroner’s office. Washington County’s overdose death rate of 41 per 100,000 is slightly higher than the state rate of 39.7 per 100,000.

Kiandra Foster, program manager for Community Health Initiatives of PERU, and Rachel Carpenter, Associate Program Implementation Specialist for PERU, addressed several issues, including stigma surrounding opioid use disorder and the coalition’s distribution of naloxone.

“Addressing and reducing stigma is a pretty critical part of overdose reduction,” said Foster. “We want to make sure that every event and activity within the coalition is focused on stigma reduction.”

WDAC also has led the way in naloxone (Narcan) kit distribution, giving out 11,346 naloxone kits from 2015 to 2023, with 1,966 kits distributed in 2023.

Since 2020, law enforcement officials in Washington County have administered 186 doses, according to PERU’s research. Of those, 84% (156) of patients who were administered naloxone survived.

Naloxone reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids.

Other tools available to help prevent overdoses are low-cost fentanyl and xylazine test strips that allow a user to test for the presence of those substances.

Many users may be unaware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, and there is an upward trend of xylazine in non-intentional fatal opioid overdoses.

Foster also informed those in attendance – which included educators, law enforcement officials, first responders, and those in recovery – about the Never Use Alone program that encourages those who choose to use to have someone with them in order to call for medical assistance in case of an overdose.

Said Foster, the purpose of using the tools available is to keep people alive.

The fundamental priority is making sure people have access to resources that can prevent overdoses,” said Foster. “By taking these preventative measures, lives are safeguarded, enabling their engagement and exploration of various pathways toward recovery.”

Washington County Judge John F. DiSalle, who presides over the Drug Treatment Court and serves as co-chair of the Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition, acknowledged opioid addiction is an ongoing problem in the community, but said progress has been made, noting “this is not a problem that we can prosecute away.

“This is an issue in our community, across all walks of life, all socio-economic strata, all professions,” said DiSalle. “We are making some headway, we have reduced overdoses in our county by this coalition. There are times you feel like you’re not making a dent in it, but it’s important that we keep at it, we keep educating the community, and we work hard to reduce that stigma.”

He continued, “This is not a problem that we can prosecute away or treat by any single agency in the community; it requires all of us as a community to work on it. The more that we talk about it and the more we engage from top to bottom, the better results we will have.”

Data show a 76% decrease in recidivism among specialty court participants who are enrolled in Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), according to PERU.

Chris McKenzie, a patient care navigator at Pinnacle Treatment Centers Inc., shared his recovery story at the meeting, proof that recovery is possible.

An addiction to opioids, along with use of heroin and cocaine, led to the collapse of McKenzie’s marriage and resulted in him ending up homeless, estranged from his children, and, on several occasions, in jail. About 10 years ago, he overdosed on heroin in a motel room in Phoenix, Ariz., but was found by a friend and survived.

“That wasn’t a wakeup call or an ‘Aha!’ moment for me, unfortunately, and there were many more overdoses and prison sentences,” he said.

But watching a friend and former drug addict turn her life around became a catalyst for McKenzie’s recovery from addiction.

“She was a whole new person, she was sober, she started her own business,” recalled McKenzie. “I started thinking maybe it was possible for me.”

After being released from jail a final time, McKenzie returned to Pennsylvania and sought treatment.

“I had a strong desire to help people the way I’d been helped, so I got trained to become a certified training specialist,” said McKenzie, who is on track to graduate from the University of Utah College of Social Work next year.

And six years ago, he reunited with his wife and their three children.

“I have a strong relationship with my kids, and we’ve started to create new traditions and replace old traditions for my not being there for Christmases and birthdays, like white water rafting on Father’s Day,” he said. “The point of my story is anyone can recover, and we do recover. My recovery started with just one connection. I want to thank everyone in this room and everyone in my life for being part of those connections and part of my recovery.”