Jul 5, 2025 3 min read

While talk of the opioid crisis has faded to a degree, it should remain front-of-mind locally.

The alarming numbers provided by the Pennsylvania Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention show a heightened potential for opioid dependence still exists in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties.

Over the last three months of 2024, 22,306 Fayette County residents – about 18% of the total population – were prescribed opioids.

To put that in perspective, that number would put PPG Paints Arena over its seating capacity, fill up more than half of PNC Park, and account for almost one-third of the seating at Acrisure Stadium.

Of every 10,000 Fayette County residents, 1,757 have a prescription for opioids, according to ODSMP data. It’s the highest per capita rate in the state – including Allegheny and Philadelphia counties. Greene County ranks fifth in the state with 1,404 in 10,000 residents, and Washington County is eighth with 1,375 in 10,000.

All of those numbers are likely part of the reason State Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones was in the area twice in as many days.

On Tuesday, she presented a $1.5 million grant to Charleroi-based Club Serenity to open a substance use disorder drop-in center in Uniontown. On Wednesday, she visited Waynesburg University to announce a pilot program that will provide tuition assistance and a stipend to up to 50 students seeking master’s degrees in addiction counseling. To receive the funding – up to $32,000 – students must intern with a community-based provider of addiction services and commit to three years of service at a DDAP-licensed facility in Pennsylvania.

Both programs underscore the need to continue fighting to help those suffering from substance use disorder, and to redouble educational efforts to avoid others from falling prey to addiction.

The drop-in center, which will have a satellite center in Charleroi, will offer resources for people to learn about and connect with recovery and treatment options. Dr. Joey Pagano, vice president and clinical director of Club Serenity, told reporter Karen Mansfield the center “aims to meet people where they’re at” and will provide a “doorway for people’s recovery journey.”

A federal study estimated a 19% increase in the need for addiction counselors by 2033.

Thankfully, there are students like David Hynes, a second-year master’s student at Waynesburg University. Having grown up in a household of addiction, Hynes said he has one simple goal: “to prevent my past from becoming someone’s future.”

Our counties all benefit from people like Pagano and Hynes, who will continue to prioritize addiction education and treatment.