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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The statistics were staggering.</p><p>More than 3,500 deaths from opioid overdose in Pennsylvania in 2015 &#8212; 96 in Luzerne County.</p><p>And Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine said the numbers for 2016 are expected to be significantly worse.</p><p>Levine and Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne, along with state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, visited Walgreens pharmacy in Wilkes-Barre on Friday to demonstrate the ease with which anyone can fill prescriptions for naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug readily available to anyone in the commonwealth due to the standing order prescription signed by Dr. Levine.</p><p>&#8220;Individuals who use opioids to treat chronic pain, including many seniors, are at an increased risk for developing substance use disorder and suffering an overdose,&#8221; Levine said.</p><p>Levine said naloxone could save the life of someone &#8212; some 2,300 have already been saved by the drug. She said after an overdose has been reversed, the patient needs to be treated at an emergency room and then a drug treatment center for a full recovery.</p><p>Levine explained that when administered during an overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing within two to eight minutes. She said naloxone has been used safely by medical professionals for more than 40 years and its only function is to reverse the effects of opioids on the brain and respiratory system in order to prevent death.</p><p>And now anyone can obtain naloxone by filling a prescription from a health care provider or by using the standing order issued by Levine, which serves as a naloxone prescription for anyone in the general public to use. She said the standing order is kept on file at many pharmacies and can also be downloaded from the Department of Health website.</p><p>Osborne said older Pennsylvanians have experienced either an accidental or planned overdose, and thankfully have had access to naloxone.</p><p>&#8220;As the state with the fourth largest percentage of seniors &#8212; 2.9 million &#8212; not only is it our responsibility to do all we can to ensure that they age with dignity and safety, it&#8217;s our duty to take a much closer look at how they are affected by this epidemic and provide education about this life-saving medication,&#8221; Osborne said.</p><p>Levine said 30 percent of the opioid overdose cases are people over 50. According to a recent Johns Hopkins University study, Americans 65 years of age or older make up 13 percent of the total U.S. population, yet they take approximately 33 percent of all prescription drugs.</p><p>Osborne said she met a 63-year-old woman who was injured on her job and was prescribed Oxycontin for pain. Osborne said the woman took Oxycontin for years, getting up to 15 pills per day.</p><p>&#8220;She overdosed twice unintentionally,&#8221; Osborne said. &#8220;She was brought back twice.&#8221;</p><p>Osborne said the woman entered a rehabilitation program to get off of the pain killer.</p><p>Pashinski said the opioid problem has gotten so bad that &#8220;we need all hands on deck.&#8221; He credited Gov. Tom Wolf for aggressively attacking the problem.</p><p>According to information provided by Levine&#8217;s office, the Wolf administration holds the fight against heroin and prescription opioids as a top priority. Wolf&#8217;s proposed 2017-2018 budget includes $10 million to provide life-saving naloxone to first responders and law enforcement across the state to help save lives and get people into treatment.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">State Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine was at Walgreens in Wilkes-Barre on Friday to discuss Naloxone nasal spray, which is used to treat opioid overdoses. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL021117Naloxone1-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>State Physician General Dr. Rachel Levine was at Walgreens in Wilkes-Barre on Friday to discuss Naloxone nasal spray, which is used to treat opioid overdoses. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL021117Naloxone2-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dr. Levine demonstrates how to get a prescription of Naloxone. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_TTL021117Naloxone2-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dr. Levine demonstrates how to get a prescription of Naloxone. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></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>GET HELP, INFO</strong></p><p>Call 1-800-662-HELP or visit www.pa.gov/opioids for treatment options.</p><p>For more information on the fight against opioid abuse in Pennsylvania, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

State officials tout life-saving drug in visit to Wilkes-Barre