PARKER, Pa. (EYT) – There really can be no denying that rural, western Pennsylvania is being ravaged by an epidemic of opiate addiction and abuse.
(Pictured above: Armstrong County DA Scott Andreassi (left) presents Chief Tom Schwab with a commendation for meth lab bust.)
Long considered an “inner city” problem, heroin and opiates are killing people in small towns and rural areas with a savagery not seen before.
The citizens of the little city of Parker, Pennsylvania have decided not to wait for the slow wheels of government, but have taken the fight against the epidemic into their own hands.
The Parker chapter of RAID (Residents Against Illicit Drugs) has begun to fight back. More than 60 area residents turned out on Tuesday evening, August 1, to celebrate Parker RAID’s efforts in fighting back since its organization earlier this year.
RAID chair Kim Palmer opened the meeting by highlighting the organization’s activities to date. She recounted how 27 residents took the Narcan training on April 6 and how one of those trainees saved an overdose victim three weeks later. The RAID members manned displays at the Parker VFD Craft Show and gave presentations to both the Masonic Lodge and VFW in Parker. They were also present at the Apollo Children’s Day and the Drugs Kill Dreams race event.
In early June, Parker RAID hosted a meeting entitled “High and Seek,” highlighting the many ways and commercially available items that can hide drugs and paraphernalia. Mrs. Palmer said that the exposure of the group at community events is generating interest in the group and leads about drug dealers in the area. The Parker Chapter of RAID is planning a couple more outings for the remainder of the summer. They will be manning a booth at the Dayton Fair during the week of August 13. Parker RAID will also be at the Paradise Park “Cheeseburger in Paradise” event later in the summer.
In an example of the power of the grass roots movement, Mrs. Palmer discussed how a Facebook discussion on how to dispose of discarded drug needles that were found led to the donation of two needle disposal kits and the donation of a used medicine return box.
One of the hangups with getting te used medicine return box was to find a suitable public location for that receptacle. In a great example of organic cooperation, Brandi Grossman, the Administrator of Parker Personal Care, has volunteered her office to house the receptacle.
Trevor Hile, of the Emlenton EMS Service, gave a short presentation on the epidemic and its impact on first responders. Discussing Narcan, Mr. Hile told the group that Narcan had been available to first responders for more than 20 years. He reported that in 2014 the Pennsylvania legislature approved a bill allowing more people to be trained to use Narcan and to have access to the drug. Federal funding has made Narcan more available and people trained to use it are now protected by “Good Samaritan” laws. Citing data from the Emlenton EMS service area, Mr. Hile, reported that in 2015 there was one suspected overdose death in their service area. So far this year, he says that there have been nine suspected overdose deaths. Mr. Hile told the group that some of the carfentanil that is in the community is so powerful that first responders are at risk of overdosing simply by breathing air contaminated with tiny doses of it. The victims of this epidemic are friends, neighbors, and family members of first responders. They are not battlefield strangers nor nameless victims of highway accidents. The stress that this is causing first responders is terrific, and there is a marked increase in first responders being treated for PSTD symptoms.
Kittanning District Magistrate Judge Jame Owen spoke of how drug use so often leads people into doing criminal activities to fund their drug use. He said that the increasing use of illegal drugs is causing a parallel epidemic of retail theft in the area as addicts and abusers try to fund their habits. The Judge said the most common retail theft involves shoplifting from stores like Walmart and then returning the stolen goods for cash. He said that now that Walmart is only giving in store credit for returned merchandise, the addicts are taking the cards to local pawnshops and pawning them for cash. This is an example of how criminals adapt to changes in their environment. Judge Owen briefly discussed the “Drugs Kill Dreams” program founded 18 years ago by District Magistrate Judge Gary DeComo. He suggested that these sorts of intervention programs can only do so much.
Speaking of drug rehabilitation, Judge Owen said, “Rehab only works when someone wants to be rehabilitated.”
State Representative Donna Oberlander reported on efforts in Harrisburg to fight the epidemic, and Clarion University professor Dr. Ray Feroz outlined a new Opioid Treatment Certificate Program being offered by Clarion University. The four class certification program can be completed in two semesters.
Armstrong Indiana Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission Executive Director Kami Anderson reported that there were 3,000 Narcan kits in the Tri-County area and that police and first responders have reported 200 saves this year. She pointed out that private citizens are not required to report their saves, and she thinks the number of saves is higher.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of commendations to Paker Police Chief Tom Schwab for his bust of a major Meth lab in Parker. Using sound police investigative work, Chief Schwab took leads from the community and tracked down the lab and made a bust. As it turned out, the lab cooking in Parker was one of the biggest meth labs in Western Pennsylvania. Armstrong County District Attorney presented Chief Schwab with a plague from Parker RAID commemorating the bust, and District Attorney’s Detective Frank Pitzer presented the chief with a commendation from the DA’s office for his outstanding work in building the bust.
