Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf took an important step today by designating the opioid crisis as a disaster emergency. The announcement marks Pennsylvania as the eighth state to take this type of action and allows government officials, first responders and others greater ability to implement tactics to address the growing epidemic of opioid addiction.  

As part of this designation, Pennsylvania will commit more resources to combatting drug addiction. This includes creation of a command center to promote coordination between state agencies, adjusting regulations to allow for broader information sharing among the medical community, and removing barriers to enable people to access the help they need more quickly. 

The opioid crisis is unlike any we’ve seen in recent U.S. history but Pennsylvania is among the states that have been the hardest hit. The Centers for Disease Control show Pennsylvania had the fourth largest rate of drug overdoses in the country and nearly 85 percent of those involved opioids.

It is our hope that officials in other states across the country will continue to take notice of the devastating trend of addiction and overdose and act to affect change. However, we also recognize that our current approaches need to include a stronger emphasis on stopping addiction before it starts. Greater coordination between government officials, the medical community, researchers and advocates is crucial to the implementation of meaningful strategies that will enable us to save lives.

Today’s announcement was an important step toward addressing the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania. Prescient Medicine supports Governor Wolf’s commitment to leading change in his state and applauds his ongoing efforts to continue to bring this important public health issue to the forefront.