Butler County is fortunate to have a long-standing reputation for local collaboration, leadership, and cooperation in response to crises, disasters, and emergencies, most especially the Opioid Emergency. Some 15 years ago Butler County formed the coalition “Butler County Against Heroin” thanks to the support of Judge Timothy McCune and many other leaders from the faith-based, law enforcement, health, and school communities.

Here we are many years later re-establishing coalitions and banding together in battle.

Locally, our coalitions include representation from every possible agency and community-based group, including the PA State Police.

In Butler County we are fortunate to have Troop D’s support and attendance at meetings and educational events. Therefore, I was pleased that the Governor’s declaration of emergency called for state agencies, including the PA State Police, to form an “Opioid Unified Coordination Group” that is to meet weekly at PEMA.

My observation after many years of working in collaboration to address community challenges, is that they are best addressed at the local level. However local efforts are often impeded by lack of definition of relationships and cooperation of agencies at the state level.

At a recent statewide conference focused on the challenges of dealing with the number of mental health clients in prisons, the importance of law enforcement collaboration was highlighted, which is often the case in community challenges.

The PA State Police provide police coverage for rural areas in many of the Counties throughout Pennsylvania, yet they were not present … perhaps not even invited. I pointed that out, and hope they will be included in the next conference.

Because I respect the nature of the State Police being a top down organization, it is notable that the Governor includes them in this coalition. Leadership at the state level in this case can be helpful in opening doors and eliminating barriers in local collaboration. Relationships with local law enforcement are obviously much easier to establish and work within because of the cooperation of local municipalities and the defined leadership of the district attorney. But because the state police provide law enforcement in many rural communities, their presence and leadership are critical components in winning this war.

I emphasize this is just one of many relationships that are important, and I again am grateful that our County has never waited for the state to define how to address a problem.

Our leaders and citizens just do it.

But because of the nature of this emergency, I remain hopeful that the state coordination group will strengthen and better define relationships, open doors between departments, coordinate policies and procedures, and allow us to spend more time attacking the problem and less time trying to overcome undefined and often contrary policies and rules of engagement.

Leslie Osche is the chairman of the Butler County Board of Commissioners.