NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018 - 42

L ACKMEDSOC.ORG

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LUZERNEMEDSOC.ORG

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RESPONDING TO
THE OPIOID CRISIS
T

he Opioid Crisis in the United States continues to
take its toll on individuals and families struggling
with addiction; since 2014, this public health crisis
has taken the lives of 259 Lackawanna County citizens and
has strained community resources. In response, leadership
within the local behavioral health system partnered with The
University of Pittsburgh's Overdose Technical Assistance
Center (TAC) to develop strategies to eliminate overdoses
in Lackawanna County.
The Lackawanna Opioid Overdose Coalition began in
February 2017; bringing together public safety and public
health stakeholders, unifying under the vision of increasing
cross-systems collaboration to eliminate overdose in Lackawanna County. The Coalition meets monthly to implement
initiatives outlined in a three-year strategic plan, which was
developed in September. The Coalition is comprised of a cross
representation of the community including: government, medical, education, pharmacy, treatment, courts, family advocates,
individuals in recovery, law enforcement and first responders.
To accomplish the goal of eliminating overdose deaths,
the Coalition has organized its forty-five members into six

The Coalition was awarded a
$158,000 grant from the Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency
(PCCD) to implement a "Warm Handoff "
policy. A Warm Handoff is an engagement
strategy to connect individuals that have
had an overdose episode with treatment.
workgroups: (1) Treatment, (2) Stigma, (3) Community
Awareness, (4) Professional Education, (5) Data Collection
and Analysis and (6) Naloxone.
A primary goal of the Coalition is to increase access to
Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) options including
methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone; while having
sufficient capacity to meet the treatment needs of individuals
with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) at the appropriate levels of
care, for the appropriate length of time. The Coalition is also
working to increase addiction and overdose education for
medical professionals who are in contact with individuals at
high risk for an overdose, individuals with an OUD, and their

The Coalition is comprised of a cross
representation of the community
including: government, medical,
education, pharmacy, treatment,
courts, family advocates,
individuals in recovery, law
enforcement and first responders.

N E PA

42

VITAL SIGNS
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2018
