Center for Rural Pennsylvania releases second report on Pennsylvania's heroin epidemic

HARRISBURG - The Center for Rural Pennsylvania today announced the release of its most recent report, "Heroin: Combating this Growing Epidemic in PA," which reflects testimony collected during a second round of statewide public hearings held in July and August.

Focusing on treatment and recovery services in Pennsylvania, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors and legislators heard from 40 experts, including treatment professionals, family, law enforcement officials, government officials, and educators, who presented testimony on a range of issues related to treatment and recovery services, and what could be done to help addicts get the treatment they need.

"The Center's work represents the most definitive report that's been done by any state agency on the heroin epidemic plaguing the Commonwealth," said Senator Gene Yaw (R-23), Chairman of the Center's Board of Directors. "Addiction is a chronic disease. It needs to be treated as such and not viewed as a moral deficiency or a matter of choice."

The Center's report summarizes the testimony from three public hearings held in July and August 2015 and includes the recommendations and policy considerations offered by the participants. Some of these include: recognizing that addiction is a disease and those suffering from this disease should be afforded proper treatment; requiring continuing medical education credits on pain management and prescribing practices of opioids for professionals licensed to prescribe in Pennsylvania; expanding the pilot program of early intervention through warm hand-off services statewide; establishing a uniform manner in which overdose deaths, and specifically heroin deaths, are reported and expanding the use of naloxone among local Pennsylvania police departments.

The Pennsylvania State Coroners Association reported that 2,489 individuals died from drug-related causes in 2014, a 20 percent increase from 2013. The association also reported that initial data for 2015 indicated the number of deaths would continue to increase.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It was created in 1987 under Act 16, the Rural Revitalization Act, to promote and sustain the vitality of Pennsylvania's rural and small communities.

Media Advisory: Center for Rural Pennsylvania to release second report on Pennsylvania's heroin epidemic

HARRISBURG - The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan, bicameral legislative research agency of the General Assembly, will release a second report on the heroin crisis facing Pennsylvania during a press conference on Monday, December 7, 2015 in Harrisburg.

The report reflects the issues addressed, and the recommendations made, by 40 presenters at three statewide public hearings held during the summer months and totaling over 11 hours of testimony. The three hearings are in addition to four public hearings held during 2014. Those testifying included educators, elected officials, law enforcement officials, medical and health care professionals, addiction treatment providers, and family members who have lost loved ones.

The report provides recommendations on 11 issues coming from the testifiers requiring additional evaluation, research and possible legislative action.

State Senator Gene Yaw, who represents Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Union counties, serves as the Center's Chairman. "Heroin and opioid abuse has no geographical boundaries," Yaw said. "This is an epidemic affecting individuals of every age, gender, race, and background across the state."

With Heroin Overdoses on the Rise, Center for Rural Pennsylvania Addresses National Epidemic

HARRISBURG - The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan, bicameral legislative research agency of the General Assembly, concluded its seventh public hearing on Tuesday, August 18, on heroin and opioid addiction, specifically prevention, recovery, treatment and law enforcement efforts.

The 11-member Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board of Directors, area legislators, state officials, law enforcement officials and state and local treatment service providers participated in the five-hour-long hearing at the Yorktowne Hotel in York County.

"The heroin epidemic has reached epidemic proportions, and has taken center stage on the local, state and national levels," said Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23), Chairman of the Center's Board of Directors. "The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is leading the way to educate policymakers, inform the public, and enhance current policies in Pennsylvania related to heroin and opioid addiction treatment. To date, the Center has received over 30 hours of verbal testimony and 350 pages of written testimony from 90 presenters. The Center has certainly taken a leadership role in this fight."

"Through these (Center) hearings, we are increasing the awareness of the complexity of the heroin epidemic in every aspect and for every individual living in the Commonwealth," said Dr. Nancy Falvo, Center board secretary. "As a nurse and an educator, I am thrilled to be a part of these hearings."

Tuesday's hearing fell on the heels of a White House announcement on a new initiative to pair public health and law enforcement in an effort to shift the emphasis from punishment to addiction treatment. Ironically, at the same time, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of OxyContin for children as young as 11 years old with severe pain.

Recent reports indicate that approximately 80 percent of heroin addicts traced their addiction back to prescription opioids. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vital Signs report also confirmed that health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every adult in the United States to have a bottle of prescription painkillers. Further, in 2011, the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimated that 4.2 million Americans age 12 or older had used heroin at least once in their lives.

In Pennsylvania, the number of fatal heroin overdoses has been steadily increasing. According to a 2014 report from the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, there were 45 reported heroin deaths in 2009 and 124 reported heroin deaths by mid-2013. Other states across the nation are reporting an increase in heroin use as addicts are shifting from more costly prescription opioids to cheaper alternatives.

"This second round of public hearings reaffirmed that the rise in heroin and opioid abuse has no geographic boundaries, and crosses all socioeconomic groups, all ages and all races," Yaw added. "Those affected could be someone's brother, sister, child, parent or grandparent. No one is immune from this disease."

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is scheduled to release the findings from the most recent hearings to the General Assembly in the fall.

For more information please contact Barry Denk or

Public Hearing on Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Center board members and area legislators welcomed presenters and attendees to the last of three public hearings on heroin and opioid addiction treatment and recovery on Tuesday, August 18 at the Yorktowne Hotel in York. Treatment and recovery specialists, health care professionals, state officials, and law enforcement officials presented testimony at the hearing.

Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Public Hearing - York

View Agenda

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania has announced the last of three public hearings to be held across Pennsylvania to solicit testimony on heroin and opioid addiction treatment and recovery services. State Senator Gene Yaw, chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania's Board of Directors, says this series of public hearings is intended to continue informing the public of the health crisis of heroin/opioid addiction and fatalities, and to bring greater focus and attention to treatment and recovery services.

In Pennsylvania, the number of fatal heroin overdoses has been increasing. According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, 2,489 individuals died from drug-related causes in 2014, a 20 percent increase from 2013. The association also reported that initial data from 2015 indicate the number of deaths will continue to increase.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms these sobering statistics, as its 2015 report indicated that heroin overdose deaths in the United States, fueled by lower heroin prices and the increased abuse of prescription opiate painkillers, nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013. According to the CDC, reversing these trends will require a wide-ranging response, from improving opioid prescribing practices and expanding access to effective treatment, to increasing the use of medications, such as naloxone, to reverse drug overdoses, to working with law enforcement to disrupt the supply of heroin.

The statewide hearings sponsored by the Center will focus on the issues surrounding the need for effective treatment and recovery services, which includes the increased use of naloxone to save lives.

Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and
Recovery Public Hearing - Scranton

View Agenda

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania has announced the second of three public hearings to be held across Pennsylvania to solicit testimony on heroin and opioid addiction treatment and recovery services. State Senator Gene Yaw, chairman of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania's Board of Directors, says this series of public hearings is intended to continue informing the public of the health crisis of heroin/opioid addiction and fatalities, and to bring greater focus and attention to treatment and recovery services.

In Pennsylvania, the number of fatal heroin overdoses has been increasing. According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, 2,489 individuals died from drug-related causes in 2014, a 20 percent increase from 2013. The association also reported that initial data from 2015 indicate the number of deaths will continue to increase.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms these sobering statistics, as its 2015 report indicated that heroin overdose deaths in the United States, fueled by lower heroin prices and the increased abuse of prescription opiate painkillers, nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013. According to the CDC, reversing these trends will require a wide-ranging response, from improving opioid prescribing practices and expanding access to effective treatment, to increasing the use of medications, such as naloxone, to reverse drug overdoses, to working with law enforcement to disrupt the supply of heroin.

The statewide hearings sponsored by the Center will focus on the issues surrounding the need for effective treatment and recovery services, which includes the increased use of naloxone to save lives.

Public Hearing on Heroin and Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Center board members welcomed presenters and attendees to the first of three public hearings on heroin and opioid addiction treatment and recovery on Tuesday, July 21 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Public and private treatment and recovery specialists, health care professionals, educators, and public advocates presented testimony at the hearing.