LancasterThriving_WinterSpring2017 - 49

COMMUNITY: BUSINESS & COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
How Can Business Owners
Get Involved?
- Promote community events
- Direct patrons to neighborhood resources
- Know your employees
- Advertise outreach/prevention efforts
- Host or help finance a community event

Did you know?

FATAL OVERDOSES IN PA.

- 1979: 134
- 2015: 3,383

LANCASTER COUNTY DRUG TASK FORCE OPIOIDINVOLVED FELONY CASELOAD

- 2006-10: 13%
- 2016: 59%

litigate vigorously and with diligence. Treatment facilities
will do all they can despite limited means.
But business owners and their staff can join the fight so
that never happens.
WHAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY CAN DO

The law-enforcement community urges business owners
to promote local events aimed at halting the epidemic -
and there are plenty around - to their patrons. Awareness
and education is essential in stopping potential drug
abusers before they start.
Become involved in those community events. Offering
financial resources, a location for the event, or input on
planning goes a long way in reaching a target audience.
Advise your employees and customers of resources, i.e.
nearby prescription pill disposal boxes, which are located
at many police stations in the county.
Business owners have a part to play as well, for it will take
a unified approach for sweeping change to become
visible. LT
(Just a note: "last year" does refer to 2016)

BY CRAIG STEDMAN,
Lancaster County District Attorney
Contact Craig at
stedmanc@co.lancaster.pa.us

Map represents overdose responses in Lancaster County.
(Data thru November 2016)

Lancaster Chamber's Prosperity
Indicator Community
Conversation - HEROIN
February 24 from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

at PA College of Health Sciences, 850 Greenfield Road
Featuring Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman;
Chief of Police Don Bowers, New Holland Police;
Chuck Mazitti, Mazitti & Sullivan

To solve the issues facing Lancaster County it requires
business and community leaders at the table sharing
ideas, discussing opportunities and finding solutions. The
Prosperity Indicator Community Conversations are helping
to get those conversations started - focusing on broad issues
that impact both the business and broader communities.
During our inaugural program, we are focusing on the
heroin and opioid epidemic that is crippling Lancaster
County and our region. We will start with a national and
regional assessment on this crisis and then localize the issue
and its impact. Our local experts will share how business
can play a role in combating this crisis, the impact heroin is
having on the community and signs employers can look for,
potential treatments options and more.
Launched in November 2011, the Chamber, in partnership
with local organizations, unveiled Prosperity Indicators
to measure and monitor on an annual basis the level of
prosperity we are experiencing in Lancaster County and in
what areas we need to improve.
(See p32 to register)

LancasterChamber.com

49

http://www.lancasterchamber.com/event.aspx?eid=2828#.WJuHIYWcGCw http://www.lancasterchamber.com/event.aspx?eid=2828#.WJuHIYWcGCw http://www.lancasterchamber.com/event.aspx?eid=2828#.WJuHIYWcGCw http://www.LancasterChamber.com

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