Adams County to fight back against opioid epidemic | Local News

The York Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission is making Narcan, the opioid-reversal drug, readily available to first-responders and “nontraditional” agencies like school districts and more.

Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett’s office has “provided training, funding, and resources to combat not only instances of drug overdoses, but also assist in the investigation and prosecution of those who provide drugs that kill members of our community.”

Adams County saw 13 overdose deaths with four additional pending cases in 2018, Adams County Coroner Pat Felix said. Felix said there were 19 fatal overdoses in 2017.

Of the 13 deaths, there were 11 males and two females, ranging in age from 24 to 62 years old, according to Felix.

Three deaths were recorded in January, and two each were in March, May, June, September and October, Felix said.

Eight of the 13 deaths stemmed from heroin, fentanyl or a combination of the two, according to Felix.

The victim in a May 7 drug delivery death died from “fentanyl toxicity,” based on autopsy and toxicology results, charging documents indicated.

On Monday, Melissa Rosenberry of Gettysburg pleaded guilty to a drug delivery that resulted in the death of Matthew Hinkle.

Hinkle, 25, was a friend staying on the property and allegedly told one of the property owners he received the drugs from Rosenberry and took “a drug called ‘scramble,’” which is “some sort of mixture” with Fentanyl as “the main drug,” as reported in charging documents.

Sinnett said Rosenberry’s case was the only drug delivery resulting in a death in 2018.

“However, we have several other pending investigations and may file charges depending on the outcome of those investigations,” Sinnett said.

Drug use has caused the prosecution’s caseload to increase, according to Sinnett. He cannot just pull statistics on drug distribution charges because someone’s addiction can become a motivator for other crimes like theft, forgery, and burglary, Sinnett said.

“All of those crimes and many more have a nexus to controlled substances,” Sinnett said.

Sending people to prison because “they broke the law” is no longer going to work, Adams County Commissioner Marty Qually said.

“While there are services we can do in prison, they are the most expensive, and they don’t have the best results,” Qually said.

Acting Prison Warden Katy Hileman has heard from inmates who struggled with their release after getting adjusted to the prison’s structure, she said.

“It’s very difficult for them to not fall right back into old habits, and they haven’t always had enough treatment to learn to cope and break the patterns that have led to their substance abuse,” Hileman said.

Substance Abuse Recovery Center

Qually said the county is looking to take “a more holistic” approach, bringing a substance abuse recovery house and center to Gettysburg.

In October, commissioners announced they are receiving $650,000 from the HealthChoices Reinvestment Fund to revamp the former Mercy House at 45 W. High St. into the recovery house and center.

The program would be led by the Recovery Advocacy Service Empowerment (RASE) Project, a community nonprofit, Qually said.

The Gettysburg proposal includes five offices for counseling and four apartments to house six recovering addicts, according to Qually.

“I believe this is an important step in the transition from incarceration to freedom for someone who is an addict,” Hileman said.

Adams County Commissioner Chairman Randy Phiel agreed with Hileman, noting the recovery center and house will aid in keeping people out of prison.

The substance abuse recovery house also could help work release inmates looking to get back into society, according to Commissioner Vice Chairman Jim Martin. Martin heads the prison board.

The prison was hoping to implement a Vivitrol program this year, but there has been a delay due to the funding process changing, Martin said.

Vivitrol “is a non-addictive, once-monthly treatment” which is used “to prevent relapse in opioid dependent patients,” according to the naltrexone drug’s website.

“Vivitrol blocks opioid receptors in the brain while you work with the psychological aspects of counseling,” the website says.

Inmates would receive two injections if they went through intensive outpatient treatment, but others who forgo the outpatient component and meet the minimum qualifications would get one injection, according to Hileman.

“I’m optimistic that it will be” available in 2019 “and they will get over the hurdles,” Martin said.

Martin, who also serves on the Adams County Overdose Awareness Task Force, said the group is divided into two different committees focusing on education and Narcan.

The task force hopes to hire a full-time community director or coordinator through grant funding, according to Martin.

“It looks like the funding may come through for that. It won’t come through the county,” Martin said.

Sinnett’s office was “one of the initial forces” behind the creation of the Adams County Overdose Awareness Task Force, which was originally named the Heroin Awareness Task Force.