Commissioners raise overdose, recovery awareness at meeting
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BELLEFONTE -- Since 2013, over 42,000 individuals have lost their lives to overdose in Pennsylvania, with 164 of those in Centre County.
Every year the Centre County Commissioners raise awareness of overdoses and recovery by proclaiming Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day and September as National Recovery Month.
Karri Hull and Jessica Shearer were in attendance at this week's meeting to talk about the county's HOPE Initiative.
The Centre County Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative was formally created through a Memorandum of Understanding in May of 2016, since then they have tirelessly worked towards not only eliminating substance abuse, drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths in Centre County but also raising awareness for the disease that has taken so many lives.
Today, Aug. 30, there will be a candlelight remembrance ceremony hosted at the steps of the Centre County courthouse at 6:30 p.m. Families and friends are welcome to come and share personal memories of their loved ones during the ceremony, and bring photographs to display on a table.
For more information, please visit centrecountypa.gov/HOPE, or for questions, email hope@centrecountypa.gov.
"All (the families) say every year on that evening is how they want their loved ones to be remembered for what they did when they lived and not how they died," said Hull, "It's a very emotional and moving evening and we would encourage anyone to come out and join us."
The courthouse will be cast in purple lighting and will remain illuminated throughout September to honor those lost to overdose and spread awareness of substance abuse disorders.
"Currently, we lose 14 Pennsylvanians a day to substance abuse disorder," said Hull, "Overdose deaths shatter families, friends and their communities. At least one in four families in Pennsylvania is impacted by the chronic disease of addiction."
Hull encouraged everyone to implement preventative measures, recognize signs of the problem and guide those in need to the appropriate treatment.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion thanked Hull and Shearer for attending and bringing awareness to this issue.
"One of the things that's talked about with opioids is how people start using opioids because they had a prescription from their doctor for a legitimate concern... It's really critical for folks in those situations to know that there are resources for how to ween yourself off of those medications. It's heartbreaking to see the impact of this and knowing that it's not an accident or coincidence that this happened. There were people who stood to make a lot of money by pushing these opioid drugs and promoting them to doctors as a safe and easy fix for pain," said Concepcion.
Commissioner Steven Dershem is chair of the HOPE initiative in the county, and had a lot to say about overdose awareness and prevention.
"It's a difficult conversation, but I think overcoming stigma in our community and making sure that people appreciate the fact that although this is occurring we need to recognize that the families left behind are left behind with incredible grief. Impacts that are unimaginable. To lose a child, a brother or sister, a family member or even a friend is absolutely horrible," said Dershem.
"At the same time, we do have to shed light on the fact that there needs to be change... As we move forward at the local, state and federal level, we need to find strategies to eliminate this gorge. I think we've made some headway here in Centre County. We don't see the huge number of deaths that some of the other counties (have experienced.) A lot of that has to do with our acceptance of the fact that substance abuse disorder is a disease and there are solutions to get people into treatment," he continued.
Dershem brought up the candlelight vigil as well, "(It's) going to be a powerful night. I look forward to being there with the families that have experienced the loss and with the folks that shine a ray of hope into the darkness."
In other news:
-- The commissioners have approved a grant application for the American Farmland Trust's Land Transfer Navigator Program. The AFT has identified Centre County as meeting eligibility to apply for a $100,000 grant to assist farmers with succession planning and land transfers. The grant requires a four-year commitment. If selected, the County would receive $25,000 annually for the next four years to support transitioning farmland owners and will need to document in-kind annual expenses of $13,000 per year for the time period of November 2023 through October 2027
-- The commissioners have considered approval of an AIA contract through COSTARS with David M. Maines Associates, Inc. to replace the Centre Crest roof in the amount of $1,451,365.