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WHEREAS, heroin and other opioids have created the worst drug addiction epidemic in United States history; and,
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WHEREAS, in 2014, over 47,000 Americans were killed by an overdose - more than were killed by guns, or died in traffic accidents; and,
WHEREAS, during this council meeting, more than five Americans will die of an overdose; and,
WHEREAS, a report issued by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), titled, "Opiate-Related Overdose Deaths in Allegheny County: Risk and Opportunities for Intervention," reveals that 1355 residents of Allegheny County died of an opiate-related overdose between the years 2008-2014; and,
WHEREAS, the report reveals Allegheny County has some of the highest concentrations of death by overdose in the Commonwealth; and,
WHEREAS, the communities that suffered 13 or more overdose deaths during this time period include the City neighborhoods of Spring Hill-City View, Allentown, Beechview, and Carrick, and the municipalities of Mt. Oliver, Sharpsburg, and Penn Hills, with the highest number of overdose deaths occurring in the City neighborhoods of Allentown, Beechview, and Carrick; and,
WHEREAS, opioid-related crimes such as theft and child neglect tear apart the fabric of our communities, and they are on the rise, as an estimated 70-80% of Pennsylvania's criminal offenders have substance abuse problems; and,
WHEREAS, opioid abuse damages families, neighborhoods, and communities and more of our neighbors are victimized by these substances and those in their grasp every single day; and,
WHEREAS, the PA HOPE (Heroin, Opioid, Prevention, and Education) Caucus, co-chaired by local Democrats Senator Jay Costa, Jr. and Representative Ed Gainey, and Republicans Senator Gene Yaw and Representative Aaron Kaufer, is a bipartisan initiative with more than 80 members in the Pennsylvania state legislature, and has come together to develop legislation to combat the o...
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