Three counties in the Poconos are launching a campaign aimed at fentanyl awareness. County commissioners in Carbon, Monroe and Pike say they’re putting up funds from national opioid settlements.
At Wednesday’s commissioners meeting in Pike County, representatives from the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission laid out details about the messaging strategy targeting the synthetic opioid, which has been found in counterfeit pills and non-opioid drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.
The messages, “We Fight Fentanyl” and “Fentanyl Poisoning Stops Here,” will appear on electronic billboards throughout the tri-county area.
“It’s also going to be showing up on Facebook ads... electronic messaging in the schools in Delaware Valley, in Wallenpaupack and at East Stroudsburg,” Pike Commissioner Tony Waldron said at the meeting.
A website dedicated to the campaign –WeFightFentanyl.org – includes a video, a sign-up page for newsletters and information about the opioid overdose-reversal medication, naloxone.
Drug and Alcohol Supervisor Shannon Wisniewski said the goal is to prevent accidental fentanyl poisoning. County data indicated the drug was present in more than 90% of 51 overdose deaths in Pike since 2020, she added.
Wisniewski estimated Pike spent about $50,000 on the tri-county campaign. Monroe contributed $250,000 due to receiving a larger settlement payout, Monroe Commissioner John Christy said. Carbon used between $150,000 and $200,000, according to a drug and alcohol commission estimate.
Estimates for settlement payouts in 2022 and 2023 range from $414,000 in Pike County to more than $1.1 million in Carbon and Monroe. Payments will be spread out over 18 years.
The money must be used for approved projects determined by the state’s Opioid Trust. Counties must report spending to the Trust by March 15 of each year, with an expectation that funds will be used within 18 months of receipt. When filing reports, counties can also request a six month extension to use the payouts.
The three counties “followed the same mantra” with regards to spending the early settlement funds, Christy said. He added that Monroe also used funds on a program that pairs a recovery specialist with a county detective to respond to reported overdoses. A spokesperson for Pike Commissioners said early funds were also spent on addiction treatment and other expenses at the county prison.
