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Clinton joins AG’s office in treatment initiative

LOCK HAVEN — Clinton County is joining a law enforcement initiative spearheaded by Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office to help residents who suffer from substance use disorder.

Shapiro’s office made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying Clinton County will be the 19th county to join the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative. The LETI program was launched by Shapiro in collaboration with law enforcement and provides assistance to Pennsylvanians suffering from substance use disorder in enrolling in treatment services.

PA LETI is a law enforcement-led treatment initiative that will allow Pennsylvanians in Clinton County seeking treatment for substance use disorder to use their local law enforcement, county officials, and community stakeholders, to contact the West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission without the threat of arrest.

“We lose 14 Pennsylvanians a day to the opioid epidemic,” said Shapiro. “Connecting individuals to the treatment they need will save lives, make our communities stronger, and help minimize the stigma associated with substance use disorder. I commend District Attorney Strouse and our law enforcement partners across Clinton County for implementing this program in their communities.”

Shapiro said partnering Clinton County law enforcement agencies and others under PA LETI will:

— Open their doors to those suffering from substance use disorder.

— Help identify individuals seeking treatment services.

— Assist with ensuring that people have transportation to treatment services.

— Maintain relationships with the local drug and alcohol administration to understand availability, and collect data to study outcomes.

In Clinton County, individuals can contact a member of law enforcement, county official, or community stakeholder at any time to ask for a referral or to be connected to treatment with no threat of arrest or prosecution.

This policy also includes the ability for law enforcement to connect individuals to treatment at their discretion. Law enforcement and county leadership in Clinton County will be partnering with the West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission to facilitate these referrals.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to partner with the Office of Attorney General to bring the LETI program to Clinton County. I think this is yet another tool for law enforcement and the criminal justice community to address the issue of substance abuse in our community, and to get folks the help they need now, and not later,” said Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse.

The LETI program will continue the work that Clinton County has been doing to address the opioid epidemic in their community.

“West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission is pleased to partner with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Clinton County District Attorney, and with local law enforcement on this initiative,” said Shea Madden, Executive Director of the West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission. “This initiative can help change the narrative surrounding substance use disorders. We look forward to this partnership and assisting individuals in finding their path to recovery.”

Agent Janene Holter, PhD, is the Office of Attorney General’s dedicated full-time agent who coordinates PA LETI. Her work includes training, writing policies for each participating county, convening key community stakeholders, and case management of LETI referrals.

LETI currently operates in Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Cameron, Chester, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Fayette, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, and Wyoming counties. District Attorneys in Pennsylvania interested in starting a PA LETI program should contact the Office of Attorney General at 570-826-2483.

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