The governor provided an update on the state’s ongoing opioid crisis Thursday, announcing a decrease in overdose deaths from 2017 to 2018.
“Today, I’m proud to announce that data recently released by the Drug Enforcement Agency shows the number of overdose deaths in Pennsylvania was 18 percent lower in 2018 than in 2017,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday. “This is a good piece of news in our ongoing fight; however, new challenges, including the increase of overdoses from other drugs in the past few weeks and months, mean that our work must continue to address the devastating effects of substance use disorder. We remain laser-focused and committed to continuing to address substance use disorder in the
commonwealth.”
In addition to Gov. Wolf, Health Sec. Dr. Rachel Levine, Human Services Sec. Teresa Miller, Aging Sec. Robert Torres, and Drug and Alcohol Programs Sec. Jennifer Smith provided announcements and updates.
Teresa Miller detailed the creation of a helpline, KinConnector, for families in kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. The KinConnector helpline can help kinship care families access local, state, and federal resources.
“Kinship care guardians often make a selfless choice to care for a young child and ensure that they receive care and support with a person they know and trust, even when processing their own emotions around their family’s situation,” said Sec. Miller. “They are navigating a big change, often years after raising their own children. KinConnector will be the bridge that helps families identify resources that can ease this process for the entire kinship family.”
KinConnector can be reached by calling 1-866-KIN-2111 (1-866-546-2111). The KinConnector helpline is staffed by knowledgeable, empathetic social service professionals prepared to help kinship care families understand and access resources that may be able to help them.
The helpline is the first step of KinConnector’s work. A website of resources is currently in development and will launch later this year.
Wolf detailed other efforts moving forward, including two “free naloxone” distribution days and tuition help for those interested in becoming medical practitioners in the substance use disorder field.
“The success of the first statewide naloxone giveaway day (in December 2018) and the fact that we cannot treat someone for opioid use disorder if they are dead, prompted the department to plan two additional giveaway events to get even more of this life-saving medication into the hands of people across the state,” Dr. Levine said.
The state says free naloxone kits- which are given to counteract the effects of an overdose- will be distributed statewide on Sept. 18 and 25.
