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Pennsylvania Daybook

<p>HAZLETON &#8212; With two Republican legislators at his side, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf Friday said he and the GOP-controlled legislature &#8220;don&#8217;t always agree&#8221; on many matters, but when it comes to addressing the ever-increasing opioid problem, the governor said, &#8220;We do agree on this.&#8221;</p><p>Wolf held his latest roundtable discussion on what is being called the &#8220;opioid epidemic&#8221; in the state he says transcends all demographics. The roundtable was held at the Pennsylvania State University Hazleton campus Friday.</p><p>Wolf said when he was campaigning for the governor&#8217;s seat, he learned there were 2,500 drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2014.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what did it for me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s when I began to formulate a plan on how to address this issue.&#8221;</p><p>Wolf said opioid use is a rural and urban problem that affects Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals and Independents.</p><p>&#8220;We need to figure out what can be done,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We need to figure out how best to effectively address it and how to best use the dollars we invest.&#8221;</p><p>Members of the 15-member panel agreed the best way to make a significant impact on the problem is through prevention, noting more treatment costs more money, but will result in more success and eventually save money.</p><p>&#8220;What everyone here has been doing, we need to do more,&#8221; Wolf said.</p><p>The Wolf administration has made the fight against opioid abuse and heroin use its top priority. The governor hopes these steps and actions and the roundtable discussions are just the beginning of a larger conversation with both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate as well as with local officials, law enforcement, emergency responders and health care professionals.</p><p>Wolf said avoiding the upcoming fiscal cliff is critical to fixing the state&#8217;s structural deficit that would provide the necessary resources to do more to fight the opioid crisis.</p><p>Dr. Nick Colangelo, chief executive officer at Clearbrook Treatment Centers, said government has to &#8220;get with the street&#8221; to effectively fight the war.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody here is on the front line,&#8221; Colangelo said. &#8220;And everybody here is overwhelmed. Everybody here represents all of the good people doing good things, but the reality is we&#8217;re not getting there soon enough.&#8221;</p><p>Colangelo and John Keegan, a Hazleton pharmacist, led the discussion on the misuse of prescription drugs, stating the need for strong criteria for prescribing drugs.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s raining on everybody&#8217;s roof,&#8221; Colangelo said. &#8220;But it takes money to fight this war. And where do we get that money from?&#8221;</p><p>Wolf said the approach to date has been to &#8220;arrest our way to a solution.&#8221; He said drug offenders/addicts get treatment while incarcerated, while insurance coverage sometimes fails to adequately cover the needs of drug-addicted patients. Wolf said drug addiction is a disease, like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and should be treated as such.</p><p>&#8220;The reality is if we address this issue better, it will cost us less money in the long run,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Hazleton City Police Chief Jerry Speziale cited a study he read regarding the effectiveness of law enforcement stopping illegal drugs from entering the U.S. He said the capture rate was about 15 percent.</p><p>&#8220;That means 85 percent of the illegal drugs get in,&#8221; he said. &#8220;How do we keep up with that?&#8221;</p><p>Wolf said by holding roundtable discussions across the state, the issue is getting out to the public and will generate more interest and discussion on possible solutions. He said he has a few more roundtables to hold, then he will begin to formulate a plan about how to address the issue. He said the House and Senate will schedule hearings on the matter, as well.</p><p>&#8220;This is a statewide problem and we all need to work together to find solutions,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Gov. Tom Wolf speaks with 15 local leaders during a roundtable discussion on Pennsylvania&#8217;s opioid epidemic. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Gov. Tom Wolf speaks with 15 local leaders during a roundtable discussion on Pennsylvania&#8217;s opioid epidemic. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gov. Tom Wolf leads the discussion on Pennsylvania&#8217;s opioid addiction problem during a roundtable session at Penn State Hazleton Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Gov. Tom Wolf leads the discussion on Pennsylvania&#8217;s opioid addiction problem during a roundtable session at Penn State Hazleton Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gov. Tom Wolf responds to a comment regarding the opioid addiction problem plaguing Pennsylvania. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf4-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Gov. Tom Wolf responds to a comment regarding the opioid addiction problem plaguing Pennsylvania. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gov. Tom Wolf speaks with local leaders to discuss the opioid addiction problem plaguing Pennsylvania at Penn State Hazleton Friday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL0501416Wolf1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Gov. Tom Wolf speaks with local leaders to discuss the opioid addiction problem plaguing Pennsylvania at Penn State Hazleton Friday afternoon. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Roundtable panel members</strong></p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf was joined by a number of state and local leaders at Penn State&#8217;s Hazleton campus:</p><p>PA Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel</p><p>PA Director of Homeland Security Marcus Brown.</p><p>Dr. Nick Colangelo, chief executive officer at Clearbrook Treatment Centers</p><p>Dr. Gary Lawler, chancellor, PSU/Hazleton</p><p>Chester Dudick, assistant district attorney/Luzerne County</p><p>Tim McGinley, vice chairman/Luzerne County Council</p><p>Dave Pedri, Luzerne County manager</p><p>Leo Vergnetti, Clearbrook Treatment Centers</p><p>State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township</p><p>State Sen. John Gordner, R-Berwick</p><p>Jason Snyder, Pa Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs</p><p>Jeff Cusat, Mayor of Hazleton</p><p>Jerry Speziale, Hazleton City Police Chief</p><p>Mary Ann Feno, president/CEO, Pathway to Recovery</p><p>John Keegan, pharmacist</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Gov. Tom Wolf uses roundtable discussions to address opioid problem in Pennsylvania