WAYNE COUNTY, PA — To help reduce opioid-related deaths in the region, The Wright Center for Community Health is participating in a state-led initiative to distribute free overdose-reversing medication and other harm-reduction supplies.

Individuals can receive kits for administering naloxone—a potentially life-saving medicine that is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration—and drug-checking strips by visiting The Wright Center for Community Health - Hawley, 103 Spruce St. The practice is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is not necessary to be a Wright Center patient or to provide ID.

Similarly, people can get kits and supplies during business hours at the Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission office, 318 Tenth St., Honesdale. The commission has partnered with The Wright Center to assist in distributing the items and promoting training opportunities to ensure that people know how to properly use them. 

The Wright Center is one of many approved, community-based distribution sites, officially known as “recognized entities,” that will receive the supplies at no cost through the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program (POPP). POPP offers multiple formulations of naloxone as well as drug-checking strips. The strips are designed to detect xylazine and fentanyl, potent substances that are sometimes mixed with other drugs and can increase the risk of overdose.

 Jeffrey Zerechak, director of the Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission, noted the epidemic’s hard-hitting impact on the region, especially in rural areas where treatment options might be limited and stigma prevents some people from seeking care. “We encourage anyone in Wayne County who needs help to please stop by our office or call us,” he said. “Don’t wait any longer. Addiction is an illness that only gets worse over time.”

 The opioid epidemic, which has claimed the lives of about 14,000 Pennsylvanians in the past three years, continues to ravage communities and families. By increasing access to harm-reduction supplies, state health officials and others hope to limit fatalities and link more people who use drugs to effective treatment programs.

Evidence suggests that providing access to naloxone does not lead to more or riskier drug use. Rather, people revived by the medication might find that the near-death experience serves as a wake-up call, compelling them to seek help and maintain recovery.

The Wright Center for Community Health helps people with substance use disorder. The center became a state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2016. To learn more about the services available through its Center of Excellence, call 570-230-0019 or visit www.TheWrightCenter.org/services/coe. 

 For more information about naloxone access at The Wright Center for Community Health and other regional distribution sites, visit www.TheWrightCenter.org/naloxone-access. 

 To connect with the Wayne County Drug and Alcohol Commission, visit www.waynecountypa.gov/157/Drug-Alcohol its website or call 570/253-6022.