Why the drop in overdose deaths in Butler?
Many reasons likely factor into the sharp decline in drug overdose deaths in Butler County this year.
Last year there were 92 confirmed overdose deaths in the county. There have been 20 so far this year.
The handful of people who attended Wednesday's Neighborhood Drug Watch meeting at the Butler fire station discussed the reasons.
Better community understanding of drug addiction is among the reasons, said Mark Peffer, chief deputy of the Butler County sheriff's office and a former city police officer.
Just a few years ago, addicts were looked upon as people who simply wanted to use drugs. Now people seem to have a better understanding of how quickly someone can become addicted to opioids and are helping people obtain treatment, he said.
“People are starting to understand that better. The community awareness has changed,” Peffer said.
Butler City Councilman Mike Walter said pointed TV commercials depicting the extremes addicts go through to obtain drugs could be a factor.
He mentioned one commercial that shows a women contemplating crashing her car so she could go to a hospital and obtain pain killers.
Business owner Denny Offstein said the increased availability of Narcan, which reverses the effects of an overdose, probably has a role in the drop in deaths.
He commended the sheriff's office to distributing Narcan to emergency responders.
“We're a centralized coordinating agency. It's a privileged position to coordinate,” Peffer said.
Emergency responders, schools and libraries have requested and received Narcan, he said.
Kathy Kline, who organized the Drug Watch program in the city, said residents reporting drug activity is another reason for the decline.
Reporting has increased, but many people are still reluctant to call 911 for anything except an emergency, Walter said.
“It's a dispatch center. It doesn't have to be a house on fire to call,” Walter said.
Act 139, also known as the Good Samaritan law of 2014 could be another reason. The law provides certain criminal and civil protections and assurances that people who call 911 to report an overdose cannot get in trouble with the law for being present, witnessing and reporting an overdose.
Peffer said the law encourages people to call for help for someone overdosing and fits in with the goal of eliminating addiction.
Another reason could be that drug dealers are selling more cocaine and methamphetamines because too many of their heroin customers are dying.
“Crack is back,” Peffer said. “The customer base is staying alive longer.”
In addition to the discussion, Kline announced that former Pittsburgh Penguins player Kevin Stevens is bringing his “Power Forward” addiction prevention program to Butler Middle School on Sept. 25.
Stevens, who struggled with addiction for more than 20 years following a horrific injury, will speak for about an hour beginning at 6 p.m. A resource fair for addiction treatment will begin at 5 p.m., Kline said. The Butler County Health System is sponsoring Stevens' visit, she said.
