User:ErinMacLeod/sandbox

The opioid epidemic has effected the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania negatively with soaring overdose rates.

The Opioid Epidemic, Pennsylvania
The opioid epidemic or opioid crisis is the rapid increase in of the use of non-prescription and prescription drugs in the United States and Canada starting in the late 1990s continuing into present day. Opioids are classified as prescription and non-prescription drugs that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects and euphoria. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is under a "statewide disaster emergency" effective January 8th, 2018; the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania is a public health and public safety emergency The opioid crisis has affected so many Americans and is crippling society in many tows across the country. Programs have been formed by the federal and state governments, in addition to smaller local programs all fighting one enemy: the opioid crisis. Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf, took it a step further by signing a statewide disaster declaration effective January 10, 2018. The first of its kind, the statewide disaster emergency is in response to the number of rising overdose death rates within Pennsylvania's counties. In 2016, Pennsylvania had the fourth highest overdose rate in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania had a 44.1% statistically significant increase in the overdose death rate from 2015 to 2016. A National Safety Council poll found 1 in every 4 Americans are directly impacted by opioid misuse. Former Governor Tom Corbett signed Senate Bill 1164 in late September as Act 139. David's Law, or the Opioid Reversal Act 139, provides first responders, friends and family members access to naloxone. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an opioid drug overdose. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing within two to eight minutes after when administered. Act 139 provides immunity from prosecution for those responding to and reporting an overdose. Governor Wolf's Disaster Declaration, effective January 10, 2018, now allows emergency service providers to leave naloxone behind after a 911 visit. Fentanyl is responsible for 52% of overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2016. Fentanyl is defined by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as a "powerful synthetic opioid analgesic similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent."

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