SCRANTON, Pa. — The Lackawanna County commissioners are hoping to get funding for a program to battle the opioid epidemic that plagues our area.
On Wednesday, the Lackawanna County Commissioners approved applying for more than $300,000 in state funding to help prevent overdoses.
The county's Department of Health hopes to use the money to start a program to help people fighting addiction. Someone called a navigator would be hired to spearhead the program.
"To go in the community to provide not only education on overdose but to distribute Narcan and Naloxone to prevent overdose," said Dr. Sabine Charles, director of the Lackawanna County Department of Health.
"We obviously have a real problem in Lackawanna County, and this is not just a county problem, but a statewide problem and really a problem in the U.S. with people using fentanyl and other drugs," said Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan.
The navigator will work with people at risk of an overdose and lead them to resources such as treatment options or fentanyl test strips.
"Lots of resources are scattered throughout the county. We're fortunate enough to have as much as we have, but to try to coordinate that is a good strategy," said Frank Bolock, the project manager at the Recovery Bank in Scranton.
Officials say the number of overdose deaths in Lackawanna County has increased about 27 percent. Commissioners believe this new program and position could be a success if it can save lives.
"If we help one family, one young person who is involved in this if we can help them avoid those terrible circumstances and help those parents who have to go through the heartache that we've seen play out in the last couple of years," Gaughan said.
The application for the grant still has to be approved by the state.