SCRANTON -- The number of heroin deaths in Lackawanna County doubled from 2014 to 2015.
When the district attorney saw those numbers, he decided to launch a website to help raise community awareness about the problem.
The website is called "Heroin Hits Home." It's meant to be a resource for loved ones of people battling a heroin addiction. The hope is that if the information is easy to find, more families will use the resources that are available.
We talked to a family from Scranton who says this website would have helped them.
Sammi Henehan from Scranton doesn't look like the face of the heroin epidemic in Lackawanna County, but she is.
Earlier this year, Sammi died of a heroin overdose. She was 23, a young professional, up and coming with a career in banking.
Marty and Stacy Henehan fought their daughter's addiction for almost a decade, and their story is not unique.
“Came in top three in northeast Pennsylvania for banking. She was gorgeous. People think it’s somebody homeless underneath a bridge, and it’s not,” Stacy Henehan said.
The Henehans applaud Lackawanna County's latest efforts to talk about stories like Sammi's.
“There’s no reason to be judged by it. The only way that you can fix a problem is you have to first be aware of the problem, so I think that by stopping the whispers, by giving it some awareness, then you put yourself in the position to get the help you need,” Marty Henehan said.
That's why the Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office believes a website can help with the county's growing heroin epidemic.
“Really trying to go beyond the stigma. People need to realize that unfortunately, this is everywhere. We have good people from good families that we are losing at a very scary pace,” said Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon.
According to the Lackawanna County coroner, a person dies of a heroin overdose every five days in the county. It’s the first thing you see on the website.
The website tells addicts or their loved ones about all the 12-step and rehab programs in the area. It has information about the state's Good Samaritan law and warning signs of heroin addiction.
The website will be paired with public service announcements and educational programs throughout the year.
It’s all being paid for with drug forfeiture money.
“It’s not fun to put people in jail for an addiction issue," added Scanlon. "It is really fun to know that they’re here a year later than they would have been.”
The Lackawanna County coroner expects the number of heroin deaths to be even higher for 2016. It’s another statistic prosecutors point out to say resources like this are necessary.
